Stelios M. Smirnakis

GAT1508, a selective neuronal GIRK1/2 activator, exhibits superior antiepileptic efficacy and synergizes with cannabidiol

This study characterizes GAT1508, a selective neuronal GIRK1/2 activator, showing superior antiepileptic efficacy and synergy with CBD.

RNA-aware tissue preservation workflows for high-quality spatial transcriptomics

This paper introduces an RNA-aware preservation method, RIPIN, that improves spatial transcriptomics data quality by inhibiting RNase activity across human and mouse tissues.

Emergence of focal cortical hyperexcitability in the murine tetanus toxin epilepsy model

This study uses multimodal imaging and electrophysiology to track focal epileptogenesis in mice, revealing microseizures and changes in interneuron activity.

On Temporal Robustness & Brain-State Stability of Functional Connectivity in Mouse Primary Visual Area V1 compared to Higher Visual Area AL

Disentangling Stimulus & Population Dynamics in Mouse V1: Orthogonal Subspace Decomposition for Neural Representation

The paper develops a PLSR framework to decompose neural activity in mouse V1 into stimulus and population subspaces, finding conserved coding schemes across layers.

Direction of motion decoding in mouse V1: Neuron predictive power relates to functional connectivity organization

The paper decodes motion direction in mouse V1 by analyzing neuronal responses and functional connectivity, finding that high predictive power neurons form dense networks during stimulation but differ in resting state.

Trial-by-trial inter-areal interactions in visual cortex in the presence or absence of visual stimulation

The paper predicts neuronal activity in one visual cortical area from another in single trials, with or without visual stimulation, in mice and macaques.

From Functional Architecture to Organizing Principles of Neuronal Ensembles in Mouse Area V1

The paper identifies functional neuronal ensembles in mouse V1 and characterizes their connectivity and computational properties across different states.

A Tale of Two Trees: Modeling Apical and Basal Tree Contribution to L2/3 V1 Pyramidal Cell Orientation Selectivity

The paper models how apical and basal dendritic trees of L2/3 V1 pyramidal neurons synergistically contribute to somatic action potential generation in response to visual stimuli.

Tug-of-peace: Visual Rivalry and Atypical Visual Motion Processing in MECP2 Duplication Syndrome of Autism

The paper develops a visual paradigm to study visual motion processing in a mouse model of autism and finds reduced perceptual reversals and increased local motion stability in MECP2 duplication mice.

Increased reliability of visually-evoked activity in area V1 of the MECP2-duplication mouse model of autism

The paper finds increased reliability of visually-evoked activity in V1 neurons of MECP2-duplication mice, suggesting altered sensory processing mechanisms in autism.

Visual Motion Coherence Responses in Human Visual Cortex

The paper examines BOLD responses in hV5/MT+ to RDK stimuli in healthy and scotoma subjects, finding that motion discrimination tasks suppress coherence-related responses.

Motor training improves coordination and anxiety in symptomatic Mecp2-null mice despite impaired functional connectivity within the motor circuit

Contribution of Apical and Basal Dendrites of L2/3 Pyramidal Neurons to Orientation Encoding in Mouse V1

The paper investigates how apical and basal dendrites of L2/3 pyramidal neurons in mouse V1 contribute to orientation encoding, finding that orientation tuning is robust to dendritic ablation.

Inhibitory Units: An Organizing Nidus for Feature-Selective Sub-Networks in Area V1.

The paper identifies 'small-world' networks in mouse visual cortex where pyramidal neurons form temporally linked clusters with inhibitory interneurons, showing increased functional similarity over postnatal development.

Measuring single neuron visual receptive field sizes by fMRI

This paper introduces a method to estimate single-neuron visual receptive field sizes in humans using fMRI, finding smaller sizes compared to population-based estimates.

Internal gain modulations, but not changes in stimulus contrast, preserve the neural code

The paper investigates how changes in stimulus contrast and internal gain modulations affect population codes in mouse V1, finding that contrast alters information distribution while internal modulations preserve code stability.

Asynchronous suppression of visual cortex during absence seizures

The paper examines neuronal activity in the visual cortex of stargazer mice during absence seizures, finding asynchronous suppression of most neurons.

Increased axonal bouton stability during learning in the mouse model of MECP2 duplication syndrome

The paper examines axonal bouton stability during motor learning in MECP2 duplication syndrome mice, finding reduced elimination rates compared to wild-type mice.

The effect of single pyramidal neuron firing across and within layers in mouse V1

The study uses patch-clamp stimulation and 2-photon imaging to show that activating single pyramidal neurons in mouse V1 recruits fewer than 1% of local units, with a modest increase in population activity.

Organization of Area hV5/MT+ in Subjects with Homonymous Visual Field Defects

The paper investigates how the organization of hV5/MT+ changes in patients with V1 lesions and finds that residual visual activity in hV5/MT+ may originate from V1 or bypass pathways, but does not ensure conscious vision.

Visually driven neuropil activity and information encoding in mouse area V1

The paper examines neuropil activity in mouse V1 using 2-photon imaging, finding that neuropil responses are more reliable and modulated than somatic activity, with coherent noise correlations across large distances.

Excessive ERK-dependent synaptic clustering with enhanced motor learning in the MECP2 duplication syndrome mouse model of autism

The paper shows that in MECP2 duplication syndrome mice, excessive ERK-dependent synaptic clustering enhances motor learning, suggesting a mechanism for abnormal learning in autism.