Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.04.29.067942v1?rss=1 Authors: Crodelle, J., McLaughlin, D. W. Abstract: Recent experiments in the developing mammalian visual cortex have revealed that gap junctions couple excitatory cells and potentially influence the formation of chemical synapses. Though gap junctions between inhibitory cells are ubiquitous in the adult cortex, and their presence has been shown to promote synchronous network firing, their function among excitatory, pyramidal cells remains poorly understood. During development, pyramidal cells that were derived from the same progenitor cell, called sister cells, are preferentially connected by a gap junction during the first postnatal week, while chemical synapses are still being formed. Additionally, these sister cells tend to share an orientation preference and a chemical synapse in the adult cortex, a property that is diminished when gap junctions are blocked. In this work, we construct an idealized model of the mouse visual cortex during the first two postnatal weeks of development to analyze the response properties of gap-junction-coupled cells and their effect on synaptic plasticity. Further, as an application of this model, we investigate the interplay of gap-junction coupling and synaptic plasticity on the order, or organization, of the resulting cortical map of orientation preference. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info