Functional mapping of horizontal connections in developing ferret visual cortex: experiments and modeling.

In cat striate cortex, patchy horizontal axonal projections link columns of similar orientation specificity. To assess the physiological correlates of such clustered projections, a new multisite stimulation technique was used to functionally map the pattern of horizontal synaptic inputs onto single layer 2/3 cells within tangential slices of developing ferret visual cortex. Twenty-four separate sets of horizontal fibers were stimulated within a 1200 microns strip of cortex, while evoked synaptic responses were recorded using whole-cell patch methods. For most cells, input maps demonstrated the presence of clustered horizontal connections in which multiple strong and weak synaptic responses were alternately evoked across the stimulated cortical region. Recordings from up to nine cells in a single slice revealed that patterns of synaptic input were closely correlated for cells in close proximity, and that this correlation decreased with distance, with no correlation at distances greater than 500 microns. To determine whether these physiological results were consistent with the known anatomical linkage of iso-orientation columns by clustered horizontal connections, mathematical analysis and computer simulations were performed upon orientation tuning maps obtained from optical imaging of activity-dependent intrinsic signals in mature ferret visual cortex. Optical imaging revealed an organization of iso-orientation domains consisting of broad regions of cortex across which orientation preference smoothly varied, together with "orientation centers" around which orientation preference was arranged in a pinwheel manner. The distribution of synaptic connections between different cortical sites was simulated by a model of functionally linked iso- orientation columns. Simulated synaptic input maps, generated by the same stimulation and recording arrangements used in our experimental protocol, accurately reproduced the observed patterns of clustered inputs onto experimentally recorded cells. These results indicate that even at the time of eye opening, prior to extensive visual experience, most cells receive patterns of synaptic inputs consistent with a clustered organization of horizontal connections that functionally link iso-orientation columns.