Cellular Physiology of Cortical Microfoils

The 4 main objectives of the "Cellular Physiology of Cortical Microcircuits" team are:

• Identification of layer- and neuron-specific forms of plasticity, their molecular mechanisms and functional roles
• Understanding the functional role of an unknown subtype of inhibitory interneuron during sensory processing
• The search for cellular and molecular determinants of dendritic inhibitory synapses
• To identify the physiological role of extracellular perineonal nets (PNNs) and the synaptic mechanism by which they limit cortical plasticity.

Main publications

• Faini G, Aguirre A, Landi S, Lamers D, Pizzorusso T, Ratto GM, Deleuze C, Bacci A (2018) Perineuronal nets control visual input via thalamic recruitment of cortical PV interneurons. eLife 7:e41520.
• Baptista S, Lourenço J, Milhazes N, Borges F, Silva AP, Bacci A (2016) Long-Term treatment with low doses of methamphetamine promotes neuronal differentiation and strengthens long-term potentiation of glutamatergic synapses onto dentate granule neurons. eNeuro 3(3). pii: ENEURO.0141-16.
• De Stasi AM, Farisello P, Marcon I, Cavallari S, Forli A, Vecchia D, Losi G, Mantegazza M, Panzeri S, Carmignoto G, Bacci A*, FellinT* (2016) Unaltered network activity and interneuronal firing during spontaneous cortical dynamics in vivo in a mouse model of Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy. Cerebral Cortex 4:1778-94 (*Corresponding authors)
• Lourenço J, Pacioni S, Rebola N, van Woerden GM, Marinelli S, DiGregorio D, Bacci A (2014) Non associative potentiation of perisomatic inhibition alters the temporal coding of neocortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons. PLoS Biology 12:e1001903.
• Allene C, Lourenço J, Bacci A (2015) The neuronal identity bias behind neocortical GABAergic plasticity. Trends in Neurosci. 9: 524-534.