Supplementary Figure 11: A schematic model of 5-HT3AR+ cell action within thalamocortical circuits.
From: Inhibitory circuit gating of auditory critical-period plasticity
5-HT3AR cells within layer (L) 1 of primary auditory cortex (A1) are driven by direct, topographically-organized inputs from the ventral medial geniculate body (MGBv). These cells are also co-activated by neuromodulators such as acetylcholine (ACh) via nAChRs. The nAChR recruitment of these cells is developmentally regulated by Lynx1, a protein that reduces nAChR function31,32. The axons of non-late-spiking (non-LS) 5-HT3AR cells descend to L4, preferentially targeting intracolumnar PV-cell somata. This suppresses MGBv-evoked spiking in PV cells, creating temporal windows of enhanced thalamic drive to L4 pyramidal cells that may gate plasticity mechanisms.
