Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) occurs when neurons decrease their responses to frequently-presented (standard) stimuli but not, or not as much, to other, rare (deviant) stimuli. SSA is present in all mammalian species in which it has been tested as well as in birds. SSA confers short-term memory to neuronal responses, and may lie upstream of the generation of mismatch negativity (MMN), an important human event-related potential. Previously published models of SSA mostly rely on synaptic depression of the feedforward, thalamocortical input. Here we study SSA in a recurrent neural network model of primary auditory cortex. When the recurrent, intracortical synapses display synaptic depression, the network generates population spikes (PSs). SSA occurs in this network when deviants elicit a PS but standards do not, and we demarcate the regions in parameter space that allow SSA. While SSA based on PSs does not require feedforward depression, we identify feedforward depression as a mechanism for expanding the range of parameters that support SSA. We provide predictions for experiments that could help differentiate between SSA due to synaptic depression of feedforward connections and SSA due to synaptic depression of recurrent connections. Similar to experimental data, the magnitude of SSA in the model depends on the frequency difference between deviant and standard, probability of the deviant, inter-stimulus interval and input amplitude. In contrast to models based on feedforward depression, our model shows true deviance sensitivity as found in experiments.

We study single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) deposited on quartz. Their Raman spectrum depends on the tube-substrate morphology, and in some cases, it shows that the same SWNT-on-quartz system exhibits a mixture of semiconductor and metal behavior, depending on the orientation between the tube and the substrate. We also address the problem using electric force microscopy and ab initio calculations, both showing that the electronic properties along a single SWNT are being modulated via tube-substrate interaction.

Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is the reduction in responses to frequent stimuli (standards) that does not generalize to rare stimuli (deviants). We investigated the contribution of inhibition in auditory cortex to SSA using two-photon targeted cell-attached recordings and optogenetic manipulations in male mice. We characterized the responses of parvalbumin (PV)-, somatostatin (SST)-, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons of layer 2/3, and of serotonin receptor 5HT3a-expressing interneurons of layer 1. All populations showed early-onset SSA. Unexpectedly, the PV, SST, and VIP populations exhibited a substantial late component of evoked activity, often stronger for standard than for deviant stimuli. Optogenetic suppression of PV neurons facilitated pyramidal neuron responses substantially more (approximately 310) for deviants than for standards. VIP suppression decreased responses of putative PV neurons, specifically for standard but not for deviant stimuli. Thus, the inhibitory network does not generate cortical SSA, but powerfully controls its expression by differentially affecting the responses to deviants and to standards.

We present a new approach for the creation of nanowires with well-defined complex geometries by electrodeposition onto self-organized single-walled carbon nanotubes. The concept is demonstrated by generation of continuous Au nanowires with various geometries, including parallel arrays, serpentines, and coils. The generality of this approach is further illustrated by synthesizing Bi2Te3 nanowires. Our concept of “drawing with nanotubes” offers to combine different material properties with complex geometries on the route to new functional nanosystems.

Semiconducting nanowires frequently have enhanced properties and unique functionality compared to their bulk counterparts. Controlling the geometry of nanowires is crucial for their integration into nanoscale devices because the shape of a device component can dictate its functionality, such as in the case of a mechanical spring or an antenna. We demonstrate a novel synthetic method for making polycrystalline CdSe nanowires with controlled geometries by using self-organized single-walled carbon nanotubes as a template for the selective electrodeposition of nanowires. Nanowires of up to hundreds of micrometers in length are formed as high-density straight arrays, as well as in the shape of serpentines and loops. These nanowires exhibit significant photoluminescence and photoconductivity applicable to photodetectors and respond to illumination up to 2 orders of magnitude faster than single crystalline CdSe.