Rafael Yuste
Columbia UniversityBiological Sciences
1002 Fairchild Center, M.C. 2435
New York, N.Y. 10027
rmy5@columbia.edu
Philosophy-Neuroscience (Templeton) Seminars
Kavli Institute for Brain Science
Doctoral
Program in Neurobiology and Behavior
Biophysics and Biophysical
Chemistry Program
Return to Biology HomePage
The goal of our laboratory is to understand the function of the
cortical microcircuit. The cortex
constitutes the larger part of the brain in mammals. In humans
it is the primary site of mental functions like perception, memory, control
of voluntary movements, imagination, language and music. No unitary theory of cortical function exists yet; nevertheless, the basic cortical microcircuitry
develops in stereotyped fashion, is similar in different parts of the cortex and in different mammals, and has not changed much in
evolution since its appearance. At
the same time, the cortex participates in apparently widely different
computational tasks, resembling a "Turing machine". Because of
this, it is conceivable that a
"canonical" cortical microcircuit may implement a relatively simple
computation.
We use brain slices to study the cortical circuitry at the cellular and multicellular level. The techniques used are electrophysiology and a
variety of optical methods, including infrared-DIC,
voltage- and ion-sensitive dye imaging with cooled CCD
cameras and two-photon microscopy. We also use
biolistics transfection, electron microscopy and
numerical simulations and modeling. We are focusing on
two questions:
(1) What is the function of dendritic spines? Spines are an essential element in cortical circuits and are still poorly understood. Two-photon microscopy has enabled functional studies of dendritic spines and has shown that they compartmentalize calcium because of their morphological features and local calcium influx and efflux mechanisms. Spines have recently been shown to exhibit rapid morphological plasticity. This has raised the possibility that the function of the spine, or the synapse, is equally dynamic.
- (2) What are the multicellular patterns of activity under
spontaneous or evoked activation of the circuit? It is still unknown if
adult cortical neurons respond individually, or if there are multicellular
units of activation which may represent a functional state of the circuit,
such as an attractor. Optical imaging of populations of cells may make it
possible to visualize the circuit dynamics and explore if canonical
microcircuits exist.
Yuste, R., Peinado, A. and Katz L. C. (1992). Neuronal domains in developing neocortex. Science 257: 665-669.Abstract
Yuste, R. and Denk, W. (1995). Dendritic spines as basic functional units of neuronal integration. Nature 375: 682-684.
Yuste, R. and Tank, D. W. (1996). Dendritic integration in mammalian neurons, a century after Cajal. Neuron 16: 701-716. Abstract
Cash, S. and Yuste, R. (1999). Linear summation of excitatory inputs by CA1 pyramidal neurons. Neuron 22, 383-394.
Yuste, R., Lanni, F. and Konnerth, A. (1999)."Imaging Neurons: a Laboratory Manual", Cold Spring Harbor Press
Kozloski J, Hamzei-Sichani F, Yuste R. (2001) Stereotyped position
of local synaptic targets in neocortex.
Science. Aug 3;293(5531):868-72. Abstract
| Full
text |
Bonhoeffer, T. and Yuste, R. (2002). Spine motility: Phenomenology, Mechanisms and Function. Neuron 35, 10191027. Abstract | Full text |
Cossart R, Aronov D, Yuste R. (2003). Attractor dynamics of
network UP states in the neocortex. Nature. 423:283-8 Abstract
| Full text |
Ikegaya Y., Aaron G., Cossart R., Aronov D., Lampl I., Ferster D.,
Yuste R. (2004) Synfire Chains and Cortical Songs: Temporal Modules
of Cortical Activity. Science. 304 (5670): 559-564. Abstract
| Full
text |
Library of Mouse Cortical Neurons
Circuit diagram of neocortical inhibitory interneurons (requires Flash)
Circuit diagram of neocortical excitory neurons (requires Flash)
Interneuron connection diagram based on published data (requires MS Power Point)
Lab Reprint Library (Password protected)
Gray Library (lab members only)
Building a two-photon microscope:
Genegun transfection in mice slice cultures:
Imaging action potentials in neuronal populations:
Optical probing of circuits:
Courses Taught:
| Course Number |
|
| Neural Systems: Circuits in the Brain |
|
| Readings in Biophysics: from Single Molecules to Networks |
|
Philosophy of Psychology (no course webpage) |
|
| Neurobiology I | |
| W3005 | Neurobiology II |
| G4008y | Advanced Seminar in Neurobiology: Dendritic Integration |
Neural Bases of Behavior: Neuroethological Approaches |
Back to the top | MedLine List of Yuste's Publications | Return to Biology Homepage