Excitatory neurons in layer 4 (L4) in the barrel cortex respond relatively strongly to touch but not to whisker movement (Yu et al., Nat. Neurosci. 2016). The model explains the mechanism underlying this effect. The network is settled to filter out most stationary inputs. Brief touch input passes through because it takes time until feed-forward inhibition silences excitatory neurons receiving brief and strong thalamic excitation.
Model Type: Realistic Network
Region(s) or Organism(s): Barrel cortex; Mouse
Cell Type(s): Neocortex layer 4 neuron; Abstract Wang-Buzsaki neuron
Model Concept(s): Sensory processing; Touch; Whisking
Simulation Environment: C or C++ program
Implementer(s): Golomb, David [golomb at bgu.ac.il]
References:
Golomb D et al. (2017). Mechanisms underlying a thalamocortical transformation during active tactile sensation PLoS Comput Biol. 13(6)