Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia are complex and heterogeneous mental disorders involving the dysfunction of multiple neural systems. The atypical and heterogenous temporal coordinations of neuronal activity, which are widely observed in these two disorders, are hypothesized to stem...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nobuhiko Wagatsuma, Sou Nobukawa, Tomoki Kurikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-08-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013306
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849228226627371008
author Nobuhiko Wagatsuma
Sou Nobukawa
Tomoki Kurikawa
author_facet Nobuhiko Wagatsuma
Sou Nobukawa
Tomoki Kurikawa
author_sort Nobuhiko Wagatsuma
collection DOAJ
description Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia are complex and heterogeneous mental disorders involving the dysfunction of multiple neural systems. The atypical and heterogenous temporal coordinations of neuronal activity, which are widely observed in these two disorders, are hypothesized to stem from an excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance in the brain. To investigate the association between the E/I imbalance and atypical neural activities, and to assess the influence of specific subtypes of inhibitory interneurons on network activity regulation, we developed a computational microcircuit model with biologically plausible layer 2/3 of visual cortex that combined excitatory pyramidal neurons with three subtypes of inhibitory interneurons (parvalbumin [PV], somatostatin [SOM], and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide [VIP]). We numerically explored the role of distinct types of E/I imbalance by changing the population size of different subtype neurons. We find that when the E/I balance is disrupted by decreasing the PV population size, activity of the PV population precedes that of the pyramidal population, which enhances beta and gamma oscillations. Conversely, pyramidal neuronal population activity was the precursor of PV interneuron activity when the E/I imbalance was induced by decreasing the SOM population size; this preferentially impaired gamma-frequency activity. The disruption of E/I balance altered the information flow between pyramidal and PV populations, modulating neuronal dynamics. Our results suggest that E/I imbalance due to different subtype interneurons would induce the distinct types of the atypical neural behaviors associated with neural system dysfunction.
format Article
id doaj-art-6a2c24ecec1b4cb79d066869fbfff4cb
institution Kabale University
issn 1553-734X
1553-7358
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS Computational Biology
spelling doaj-art-6a2c24ecec1b4cb79d066869fbfff4cb2025-08-23T05:31:15ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Computational Biology1553-734X1553-73582025-08-01218e101330610.1371/journal.pcbi.1013306Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.Nobuhiko WagatsumaSou NobukawaTomoki KurikawaAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia are complex and heterogeneous mental disorders involving the dysfunction of multiple neural systems. The atypical and heterogenous temporal coordinations of neuronal activity, which are widely observed in these two disorders, are hypothesized to stem from an excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance in the brain. To investigate the association between the E/I imbalance and atypical neural activities, and to assess the influence of specific subtypes of inhibitory interneurons on network activity regulation, we developed a computational microcircuit model with biologically plausible layer 2/3 of visual cortex that combined excitatory pyramidal neurons with three subtypes of inhibitory interneurons (parvalbumin [PV], somatostatin [SOM], and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide [VIP]). We numerically explored the role of distinct types of E/I imbalance by changing the population size of different subtype neurons. We find that when the E/I balance is disrupted by decreasing the PV population size, activity of the PV population precedes that of the pyramidal population, which enhances beta and gamma oscillations. Conversely, pyramidal neuronal population activity was the precursor of PV interneuron activity when the E/I imbalance was induced by decreasing the SOM population size; this preferentially impaired gamma-frequency activity. The disruption of E/I balance altered the information flow between pyramidal and PV populations, modulating neuronal dynamics. Our results suggest that E/I imbalance due to different subtype interneurons would induce the distinct types of the atypical neural behaviors associated with neural system dysfunction.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013306
spellingShingle Nobuhiko Wagatsuma
Sou Nobukawa
Tomoki Kurikawa
Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
PLoS Computational Biology
title Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
title_full Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
title_fullStr Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
title_full_unstemmed Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
title_short Excitatory/inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit.
title_sort excitatory inhibitory ratio disruption modulates neural synchrony and flow directions in a cortical microcircuit
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013306
work_keys_str_mv AT nobuhikowagatsuma excitatoryinhibitoryratiodisruptionmodulatesneuralsynchronyandflowdirectionsinacorticalmicrocircuit
AT sounobukawa excitatoryinhibitoryratiodisruptionmodulatesneuralsynchronyandflowdirectionsinacorticalmicrocircuit
AT tomokikurikawa excitatoryinhibitoryratiodisruptionmodulatesneuralsynchronyandflowdirectionsinacorticalmicrocircuit