* A gradual depth-dependent change in connectivity features of supragranular pyramidal cells in rat barrel cortex.
- Recent experimental evidence suggests a finer genetic, structural and functional subdivision of the layers which form a cortical column. The classical layer II/III (LII/III) of rodent neocortex integrates ascending sensory information with contextual cortical information for behavioral read-out. We systematically investigated to which extent regular-spiking supragranular pyramidal neurons, located at different depths within the cortex, show different input-output connectivity patterns. Combining glutamate uncaging with whole-cell recordings and biocytin filling, we revealed a novel cellular organization of LII/III: (1) "Lower LII/III" pyramidal cells receive a very strong excitatory input from lemniscal LIV and much fewer inputs from paralemniscal LVa. They project to all layers of the home column, including a feedback projection to LIV, whereas transcolumnar projections are relatively sparse. (2) "Upper LII/III" pyramidal cells also receive their strongest input from LIV, but in addition, a very strong and dense excitatory input from LVa. They project extensively to LII/III as well as LVa and Vb of their home and neighboring columns. (3) "Middle LII/III" pyramidal cell shows an intermediate connectivity phenotype that stands in many ways in between the features described for lower versus upper LII/III. "Lower LII/III" intracolumnarly segregates and transcolumnarly integrates lemniscal information, whereas "upper LII/III" seems to integrate lemniscal with paralemniscal information. This suggests a fine-grained functional subdivision of the supragranular compartment containing multiple circuits without any obvious cytoarchitectonic, other structural or functional correlate of a laminar border in rodent barrel cortex.
=>機能の, 関数の, 機能する, 機能上の, 実用的な, 機能的な
Overview of adj functional
The adj functional has 6 senses (first 2 from tagged texts)
1. (3) functional -- (designed for or capable of a particular function or use; "a style of writing
in which every word is functional"; "functional architecture")
2. (1) functional -- (involving or affecting function rather than physiology; "functional deafness")
3. functional -- (relating to or based on function especially as opposed to structure; "the problem
now is not a constitutional one; it is a functional one"; "delegates elected on a functional rather
than a geographical basis")
4. functional, usable, useable, operable, operational -- (fit or ready for use or service; "the
toaster was still functional even after being dropped"; "the lawnmower is a bit rusty but still
usable"; "an operational aircraft"; "the dishwasher is now in working order")
5. functional -- (designed for or adapted to a function or use; "functional education selects
knowledge that is concrete and usable rather than abstract and theoretical"; "functional
architecture")
6. running, operative, functional, working -- ((of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of
performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes")
--- WordNet end ---