Imaging of dendritic activity in thalamic neurons by use of 2-photon technique

Processing of information in nerve cells occurs mainly in their dendrites. However, due to lack of adequate methods there is today very little information available on mechanisms of dendritic signal processing. New and powerful imaging techniques based o n 2-photon microscopy and calcium imaging have now opened exciting new possibilities for direct studies of signal processing in different parts of dendriic trees, and for studies of synaptic signal transmission between neurons. This application concerns f inancial support for establishing such methods in my research group. We are working on neurophysiological investigations of thalamic relay nuclei that mediate and preprocess practically all information to cerebral cortex from extracortcal structures. We w ill use the new imaging methods to study signal processing in the neurons involved in the neural circuits of such nuclei. Our main emphasis will be on the normal physiology of the dendrites of intrinsic interneurons and thalamocortical cells, and on patho physiology that possibly is related to myoclonic epilepsy. These are subject that have not been previously directly studied experimentally, and they are subjects of great scientific interest.