Strikingly, one pre-decision synchrony pattern involves PV neuron synchrony with contralateral PFC-MD neurons. This fits perfectly with our recent finding that during rule shift learning, PV neuron gamma activity drives plasticity of callosal PV synapses onto PFC-MD neurons.
Vikaas Sohal
Strikingly, inhibiting these synapses specifically after trial outcomes, locks them in a depotentiated state & prevents learning, showing that plasticity guides learning in real-time. Furthermore, gamma-frequency stimulation of these synapses reverses these deficits, restoring plasticity & learning.
These synchrony patterns mediate distinct aspects of flexible behavior: Post-outcome synchrony between PV neurons triggers plasticity, creating new patterns of PV x PFC-MD neuron synchrony which appear during decision-making, track decision conflict & implement new strategies.
Vikaas Sohal
Enhancing PFC gamma holds great promise for addressing cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. This work led by Aarron Phensy indicates that successful therapies should account for cell type-specific patterns of gamma synchrony rather than just targeting PFC gamma oscillations in a nonspecific manner.
Vikaas Sohal
New paper out! For decades there has been a ‘standard model’ for gamma oscillations. This upends that model - PFC gamma oscillations are not one thing. Rather they dynamically recruit diverse cell type-specific synchrony motifs to implement multiple functions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Please come by the Sohal lab posters at #SfN2025 to join the discussion about all of our favorite things: cognitive flexibility, gamma oscillations, PFC social encoding, autism mouse models, dopamine, & more!
New paper online! How does plasticity at specific synapses drive specific forms of learning? We find that learning extradimensional rule shifts depends on strengthening long-range GABAergic projections from parvalbumin neurons to PFC-MD neurons in the contralateral PFC! www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
