The End. Paper: Schmidt, Chew, Bennett, Hammad & Fröhlich, Differential effects of cholinergic and noradrenergic neuromodulation on spontaneous cortical network dynamics, Neuropharmacology (2013) HUGE thank you to all the trainees and collaborators on this project!

🧠 Meanwhile, ACh's pronounced but transient effects align with its role in expected uncertainty and attentional processing - temporarily enhancing signal processing without permanent circuit changes. #AttentionNetworks

🧠 Our findings help explain why NE is often associated with unexpected uncertainty and novel environmental stimuli - its plasticity-inducing effects help neural circuits adapt to important changes in the environment. #CognitiveNeuroscience

🧠 What we found particularly intriguing is that NE induced this plasticity without any artificial stimulation - just spontaneous network activity was sufficient to trigger lasting changes in circuit organization! #SynapticPlasticity

🧠 Using receptor-specific pharmacology, we determined that CCh's effects were primarily mediated by muscarinic M1 receptors, while NE's long-lasting effects were largely dependent on β-adrenergic receptors. #ReceptorPharmacology

🧠 In contrast, norepinephrine (NE) produced more complex, bidirectional effects - some neurons increased firing while others decreased. More importantly, NE's effects outlasted its presence, especially in deep cortical layers (V-VI)! #NeuralPlasticity

🧠 We found that Carbachol (CCh, acetylcholine agonist) caused pronounced but reversible increases in firing rates across multiple cortical layers. The effect was concentration-dependent and disappeared after washout. #Neuromodulation

🧠 Using multielectrode in vitro arrays, we measured how these neuromodulators affect network activity across different concentrations (1-100μM). Both increase spontaneous firing but with key differences in their temporal profiles! #Neuropharmacology

First up, I am excited to share with you our very first paper that investigated how acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE) differently affect spontaneous cortical activity. These neuromodulators are critical for attention, learning, and behavioral state regulation! #Neuroscience

Resisted napping for a long time, now discovering the wisdom of my body. Accepting my yellow belt in napping!