Rich cell-type-specific network topology in neocortical microcircuitry

Nat Neurosci. 2017 Jul;20(7):1004-1013. doi: 10.1038/nn.4576. Epub 2017 Jun 5.

Abstract

Uncovering structural regularities and architectural topologies of cortical circuitry is vital for understanding neural computations. Recently, an experimentally constrained algorithm generated a dense network reconstruction of a ∼0.3-mm3 volume from juvenile rat somatosensory neocortex, comprising ∼31,000 cells and ∼36 million synapses. Using this reconstruction, we found a small-world topology with an average of 2.5 synapses separating any two cells and multiple cell-type-specific wiring features. Amounts of excitatory and inhibitory innervations varied across cells, yet pyramidal neurons maintained relatively constant excitation/inhibition ratios. The circuit contained highly connected hub neurons belonging to a small subset of cell types and forming an interconnected cell-type-specific rich club. Certain three-neuron motifs were overrepresented, matching recent experimental results. Cell-type-specific network properties were even more striking when synaptic strength and sign were considered in generating a functional topology. Our systematic approach enables interpretation of microconnectomics 'big data' and provides several experimentally testable predictions.

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology
  • Animals
  • Computer Simulation
  • Connectome
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Neocortex / anatomy & histology*
  • Neocortex / physiology*
  • Neural Inhibition
  • Neural Pathways
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Pyramidal Cells / physiology
  • Rats
  • Synapses / physiology*