Persistent hypersynchronization of neocortical neurons in the mocha mutant of mouse.

A recessive mutation in the mouse at the mocha locus (mh, chromosome 10) modulates the synchronous synaptic activation of neocortical neurons, resulting in a constant 6-7 Hz (theta) wave pattern in the electrocorticogram. The gene-linked brain rhythm is unaffected by motor behavior and cannot be desynchronized by sensory stimuli. This exemplary neurological mutation affecting cortical excitability is the first to reveal clearly that the predominance of a specific pattern of spontaneous brain wave activity can be inherited as a recessive trait.