Dynamic Interactions Among GABAergic Interneuron Populations

Cortical interneurons are often treated as a uniform brake on excitation, but the inhibitory circuit is far richer than that: distinct interneuron populations interact dynamically, and their mutual interactions shape cortical gain in ways that aren't predicted by simple feedforward circuit models. This project combines dual-color imaging and cell-type-targeted optogenetics in awake mice to dissect how diverse inhibitory populations interact, how those interactions regulate visual gain, and how interneurons differentially shape dendritic versus somatic inhibition of excitatory neurons. State-space modeling reveals recurring activity patterns linked to behavioral state and to features of the visual environment, surfacing the structure that makes flexible cortical processing possible.