Synaptic organization of the prefrontal cortex - Adam Carter

Stanford Neurosciences Institute Seminar Series Presents

Synaptic organization of the prefrontal cortex Adam Carter, Ph.D Associate Professor of Neural Science, Cellular and Circuit Neurophysiology, New York University 

Host: Jun Ding

Abstract

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in the control of diverse cognitive and emotional behaviors. This control is mediated in part by diverse pyramidal neurons that project to many other brain regions. It is also guided by long-range excitatory inputs, including reciprocal connections from target regions. However, we know little about the cellular and synaptic properties of circuits linking the PFC with the rest of the brain. Professor Carter will discuss several recent and ongoing projects in his lab focused on reciprocal circuits involving the PFC, amygdala and thalamus. He will describe how corticoamygdala and corticostriatal neurons differentially respond to inputs from the amygdala. He will also show how different populations of interneurons are engaged by amygdala inputs to mediate feed-forward inhibition. Finally, He will discuss how corticocortical and corticothalamic neurons respond to excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Together, their findings are beginning to reveal the rules by which different cell-types in the PFC respond to inputs from other brain regions.