Axo-spinous communication between the cortex and thalamus
Spines are ubiquitous morpho-functional elements of excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity in the neocortex. Whether functional spines are also present in the thalamus is currently unclear. Here I demonstrate that layer 5 cortico-thalamic terminals arising from several frontal cortical regions preferentially target functional spines in the thalamus via variable and complex synapses. These axo-spinous L5-thalamic connections are surprisingly powerful, able to selectively recruit a subset of thalamic neuron and are involved in motor learning.
Date: 13 January 2026, 16:00
Venue: Sherrington Building, off Parks Road OX1 3PT
Venue Details: Florence Buchanan Lecture Theatre
Speaker: Professor László Acsády (Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine)
Organising department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Host: Professor Zoltan Molnar (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Part of: Neuroscience Theme Guest Speakers (DPAG)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Hannah Simm