# Cellular and circuit mechanisms mediating the cross-modal modulation of sensory processing

> **NIH NIH F31** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $27,097

## Abstract

Project Summary
To perceive real-world objects and environments, animals must be able to combine sensory and contextual
information. For mammals, the integration of sensory and contextual signals depends upon computations
performed in the neocortex, a layered structure principally comprised of excitatory pyramidal cells and
GABAergic inhibitory interneurons. Sensory processing in the neocortex is hierarchical and begins at primary
sensory areas. Neocortical layer 4 receives input directly from the sensory thalamus, while layer 1 receives
contextual input from a diversity of regions, including cortical areas processing different sensory modalities,
higher-order thalamic nuclei, callosal input, neuromodulatory sources, and high-order cortical areas. Pyramidal
cells, the main output cells of the neocortex, have two input zones: the basal dendrites, which eventually
receive thalamic-driven sensory information, and the tuft dendrites, which project to layer 1. Neocortical layer 1
is unique among the cortical layers in that it exclusively contains GABAergic interneurons and no excitatory
cells. Because they are positioned among the tuft dendrites of pyramidal cells and axonal projections carrying
contextual information, the interneurons of L1 are ideal candidates to regulate the integration of sensory and
contextual signals. Moreover, the functional importance of L1 interneurons in mediating the integration of
contextual and sensory information has been demonstrated by recent studies. One such study has shown that
L1 interneurons are critically important for the cross-modal adjustment of sensory signals in primary sensory
cortices. However, the identity of interneurons in L1 is poorly understood, so their precise role in cross-modal
neocortical circuits remains a mystery. My research has demonstrated that L1 contains four distinct subtypes
of interneurons, each with a means of being targeted using transgenic mouse lines. With this knowledge, the
purpose of this research is to discover cellular and circuit mechanisms that mediate cross-modal modulation of
sensory processing in the neocortex. This goal will be achieved in two aims: (1) using optogenetics and
electrophysiological recordings in brain slices, the subtypes of interneurons in L1 that receive cross-modal
input and the roles those interneurons play in their local circuit will be determined; (2) using
electrophysiological recordings in awake, head-fixed mice while manipulating the activity of interneurons in L1,
the circuit mechanisms that regulate the cross-modal modulation of sensory processing will be determined.
Results from these experiments will benefit our understanding of contextual processing in the neocortex and
may shed light on the origins of deficits in sensory integration found in psychiatric disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9906285
- **Project number:** 5F31NS106793-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin Schuman
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $27,097
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2020-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9906285

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9906285, Cellular and circuit mechanisms mediating the cross-modal modulation of sensory processing (5F31NS106793-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9906285. Licensed CC0.

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