Audiotactile interactions in the mouse cochlear nucleus.

Multisensory integration of auditory and tactile information occurs already at the level of the cochlear nucleus. Rodents use their whiskers for tactile perception to guide them in their exploration of the world. As nocturnal animals with relatively poor vision, audiotactile interactions are of great importance for this species.

Cortical layer 6 control of sensory responses in higher-order thalamus.

Key Points: Thalamic activity is regulated by corticothalamic feedback from layers 5B and 6. To selectively study the importance of the layer 6 corticothalamic (L6 CT) projection, a transgenic mouse line was used in which layer 6 cells projecting to posterior medial thalamus (POm) were targeted for expression of channelrhodopsin-2. Repetitive optogenetic stimulation of this sub-type of L6 cells caused a rapid adaptation in POm spiking output, but had little effect on the spiking activity in the other cortical layers.