Synapses of horizontal connections in adult rat somatosensory cortex have different properties depending on the source of their axons.

In somatosensory cortex (S1) tactile stimulation activates specific regions. The borders between representations of different body parts constrain the spread of excitation and inhibition: connections that cross from one representation to another (cross-border, CB) are weaker than those remaining within the representation (noncross border, NCB). Thus, physiological properties of CB and NCB synapses onto layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons were compared using whole-cell recordings in layer 2/3 neurons close to the border between the forepaw and lower jaw representations. Electrical stimulation of CB and NCB connections was used to activate synaptic potentials. Properties of excitatory (EPSPs) and inhibitory (IPSPs) postsynaptic potentials (PSP) were determined using 3 methods: 1) minimal stimulation to elicit single-fiber responses; 2) stimulation in the presence of extracellular Sr(2+) to elicit asynchronous quantal responses; 3) short trains of stimulation at various frequencies to examine postsynaptic potential (PSP) dynamics. Both minimal and asynchronous quantal EPSPs were smaller when evoked by CB than NCB stimulation. However, the dynamics of EPSP and IPSP trains were not different between CB and NCB stimulation. These data suggest that individual excitatory synapses from connections that cross a border (CB) have smaller amplitudes than those that come from within a representation (NCB), and suggest a postsynaptic locus for the difference.