The Neocortical Circuit: Themes and Variations

Overview

Journal Nat Neurosci

Date 2015 Jan 28

PMID 25622573

Citations 527

Authors

Kenneth D Harris

Gordon M G Shepherd

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Similarities in neocortical circuit organization across areas and species suggest a common strategy to process diverse types of information, including sensation from diverse modalities, motor control and higher cognitive processes. Cortical neurons belong to a small number of main classes. The properties of these classes, including their local and long-range connectivity, developmental history, gene expression, intrinsic physiology and in vivo activity patterns, are remarkably similar across areas. Each class contains subclasses; for a rapidly growing number of these, conserved patterns of input and output connections are also becoming evident. The ensemble of circuit connections constitutes a basic circuit pattern that appears to be repeated across neocortical areas, with area- and species-specific modifications. Such 'serially homologous' organization may adapt individual neocortical regions to the type of information each must process.

Citing Articles

Cross-Frequency Couplings Reveal Mice Visual Cortex Selectivity to Grating Orientations.

Ebrahimvand Z, Daliri M Brain Behav. 2025; 15(3):e70360.

PMID: 40079646 PMC: 11905059. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70360.

A prenatal window for enhancing spatial resolution of cortical barrel maps.

Anibal-Martinez M, Puche-Aroca L, Perez-Montoyo E, Pumo G, Madrigal M, Rodriguez-Malmierca L Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1):1955.

PMID: 40050657 PMC: 11885613. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57052-w.

A cell type-specific mechanism driving the rapid antidepressant effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation.

W Gongwer M, Qi A, Enos A, Rueda Mora S, Rueda S, Klune C bioRxiv. 2025; .

PMID: 39975365 PMC: 11838264. DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.29.635537.

Spatial profiling of the interplay between cell type- and vision-dependent transcriptomic programs in the visual cortex.

Xie F, Jain S, Xu R, Butrus S, Tan Z, Xu X Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025; 122(7):e2421022122.

PMID: 39946537 PMC: 11848306. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421022122.

A visual cortical-lateral posterior thalamic nucleus circuit regulates depressive-like behaviors in male mice.

Wu F, Gu C, Xu R, Ma J, Gao L, Zhang Y Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1):1395.

PMID: 39915439 PMC: 11802872. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55600-4.

References

Hooks B, Hires S, Zhang Y, Huber D, Petreanu L, Svoboda K . Laminar analysis of excitatory local circuits in vibrissal motor and sensory cortical areas. PLoS Biol. 2011; 9(1):e1000572. PMC: 3014926. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000572. View

Niell C, Stryker M . Modulation of visual responses by behavioral state in mouse visual cortex. Neuron. 2010; 65(4):472-9. PMC: 3184003. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.033. View

Rockland K, Pandya D . Laminar origins and terminations of cortical connections of the occipital lobe in the rhesus monkey. Brain Res. 1979; 179(1):3-20. DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(79)90485-2. View

Kim J, Matney C, Blankenship A, Hestrin S, Brown S . Layer 6 corticothalamic neurons activate a cortical output layer, layer 5a. J Neurosci. 2014; 34(29):9656-64. PMC: 4099543. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1325-14.2014. View

Guillery R, Sherman S . Thalamic relay functions and their role in corticocortical communication: generalizations from the visual system. Neuron. 2002; 33(2):163-75. DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00582-7. View

Sheets P, Suter B, Kiritani T, Chan C, Surmeier D, Shepherd G . Corticospinal-specific HCN expression in mouse motor cortex: I(h)-dependent synaptic integration as a candidate microcircuit mechanism involved in motor control. J Neurophysiol. 2011; 106(5):2216-31. PMC: 3214092. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00232.2011. View

Feldmeyer D . Excitatory neuronal connectivity in the barrel cortex. Front Neuroanat. 2012; 6:24. PMC: 3394394. DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2012.00024. View

Wimmer V, Bruno R, de Kock C, Kuner T, Sakmann B . Dimensions of a projection column and architecture of VPM and POm axons in rat vibrissal cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2010; 20(10):2265-76. PMC: 2936807. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhq068. View

Yang W, Carrasquillo Y, Hooks B, Nerbonne J, Burkhalter A . Distinct balance of excitation and inhibition in an interareal feedforward and feedback circuit of mouse visual cortex. J Neurosci. 2013; 33(44):17373-84. PMC: 3812505. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2515-13.2013. View

10.

Zhang Z, Deschenes M . Projections to layer VI of the posteromedial barrel field in the rat: a reappraisal of the role of corticothalamic pathways. Cereb Cortex. 1998; 8(5):428-36. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/8.5.428. View

11.

Hromadka T, DeWeese M, Zador A . Sparse representation of sounds in the unanesthetized auditory cortex. PLoS Biol. 2008; 6(1):e16. PMC: 2214813. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060016. View

12.

Harwell C, Parker P, Gee S, Okada A, McConnell S, Kreitzer A . Sonic hedgehog expression in corticofugal projection neurons directs cortical microcircuit formation. Neuron. 2012; 73(6):1116-26. PMC: 3551478. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.02.009. View

13.

Fu Y, Tucciarone J, Espinosa J, Sheng N, Darcy D, Nicoll R . A cortical circuit for gain control by behavioral state. Cell. 2014; 156(6):1139-1152. PMC: 4041382. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.050. View

14.

Watakabe A, Hirokawa J, Ichinohe N, Ohsawa S, Kaneko T, Rockland K . Area-specific substratification of deep layer neurons in the rat cortex. J Comp Neurol. 2012; 520(16):3553-73. DOI: 10.1002/cne.23160. View

15.

Cruikshank S, Urabe H, Nurmikko A, Connors B . Pathway-specific feedforward circuits between thalamus and neocortex revealed by selective optical stimulation of axons. Neuron. 2010; 65(2):230-45. PMC: 2826223. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.12.025. View

16.

Stepanyants A, M Martinez L, Ferecsko A, Kisvarday Z . The fractions of short- and long-range connections in the visual cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106(9):3555-60. PMC: 2651285. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810390106. View

17.

Klausberger T, Somogyi P . Neuronal diversity and temporal dynamics: the unity of hippocampal circuit operations. Science. 2008; 321(5885):53-7. PMC: 4487503. DOI: 10.1126/science.1149381. View

18.

Chou S, Babot Z, Leingartner A, Studer M, Nakagawa Y, OLeary D . Geniculocortical input drives genetic distinctions between primary and higher-order visual areas. Science. 2013; 340(6137):1239-42. PMC: 3851411. DOI: 10.1126/science.1232806. View

19.

Nelson A, Schneider D, Takatoh J, Sakurai K, Wang F, Mooney R . A circuit for motor cortical modulation of auditory cortical activity. J Neurosci. 2013; 33(36):14342-53. PMC: 3761045. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2275-13.2013. View

20.

Bortone D, Olsen S, Scanziani M . Translaminar inhibitory cells recruited by layer 6 corticothalamic neurons suppress visual cortex. Neuron. 2014; 82(2):474-85. PMC: 4068343. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.02.021. View