, 2004). We applied scanning photostimulation to study the microcircuitry of excitatory cells (stellate and pyramidal cells) in superficial layers of the MEC. L2Ss and L2Ps are predominantly embedded in superficial to superficial microcircuitry, with a larger fraction of deep to superficial microcircuitry for L2Ps. This deep to superficial microcircuitry is arranged in input clusters with a target-cell-specific spatial spread. A new element of microcircuit design

is the asymmetric, medial offset of Selleck Anti-diabetic Compound Library deep input clusters to L3Ps (not displayed by the superficial inputs onto L3Ps), which is correlated with a pyramidal cell’s distance from the pial surface. Based on anatomical studies, microcircuitry in the superficial MEC can be divided into two different pathways, the intralaminar recurrent connections and ascending interlaminar feedback connections (Köhler, 1986). Extracellular recordings and current source density analysis in vivo have been used to demonstrate ascending interlaminar feedback connections have been demonstrated primarily for deep layers to the superficial L3 (Kloosterman et al., 2003). Intralaminar recurrent connections have been demonstrated with

paired recordings in L3 and L5 (Dhillon and Jones, 2000). In the same study, connected pairs of L2 cells could not be found, and interlaminar connectivity between the deep and superficial layers was not assessed. Another study reported a very low connectivity between L2Ss

when using paired recordings (J.J. Couey et al., 2009, SFN Thymidine kinase Annual IBET762 Meeting, abstract). When scanning photostimulation was used, intralaminar recurrent connections could be demonstrated in L2 (Kumar et al., 2007). We show that the two morphologically and biophysically different excitatory cell types in L2 MEC, L2Ss and L2Ps, (Alonso and Klink, 1993), are differentially embedded in the associative microcircuitry. Both L2Ss and L2Ps are mainly incorporated in superficial to superficial microcircuits, indicating recurrent connectivity both within L2 and from L3 to L2. One explanation for the discrepancy between low L2S to L2S connectivity in (source-cell-specific) paired recordings and the high density of superficial inputs in our and another (source-cell-unspecific) mapping study would be that the superficial to superficial microcircuitry onto L2Ss is mainly established by L2Ps and L3Ps. Interestingly, the relative contribution of deep to superficial microcircuitry to a cell’s functional input map is significantly larger for L2Ps than for L2Ss. Deep layer inputs integrate position, direction, and speed signals (Sargolini et al., 2006). We suggest that L2Ps receiving more ascending inputs might serve as integrative relays that convey spatial information to L2Ss.