Joshua Trachtenberg

/in /by

My lab is interested in understanding how our earliest sensory experiences pattern synaptic connections in the cortex and how this, in turn, shapes the function of neural circuitry. We explore this in the visual system, including primary visual cortex, higher visual cortical regions, superior colliculus, amygdala, and thalamus. Vision is the primary sense we use to evaluate social structures, individual faces, threats, and rewards. Our goal is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which early experiences instruct synpatic connectivity, network connectivity, and network function in cortical circuits. We also wish to understand how these experiential changes shape behavior. Our work employs sophisticated imaging and molecular techniques, including longitudinal multi-photon imaging of genetically encoded calcium indicators that are expressed in specific cell types, and single cell transcriptomics.

Publications:

Sehgal M, Filho DA, Kastellakis G, Kim S, Lee J, Shen Y, Huang S, Lavi A, Fernandes G, Davila Mejia I, Martin SS, Pekcan A, Wu MS, Heo WD, Poirazi P, Trachtenberg JT, Silva AJ. Compartmentalized dendritic plasticity in the mouse retrosplenial cortex links contextual memories formed close in time. Nat Neurosci. 2025 Mar; 28(3):602-615. view on PubMed

Hahn J, Monavarfeshani A, Qiao M, Kao AH, Kölsch Y, Kumar A, Kunze VP, Rasys AM, Richardson R, Wekselblatt JB, Baier H, Lucas RJ, Li W, Meister M, Trachtenberg JT, Yan W, Peng YR, Sanes JR, Shekhar K. Evolution of neuronal cell classes and types in the vertebrate retina. Nature. 2023 Dec; 624(7991):415-424. view on PubMed

Hahn J, Monavarfeshani A, Qiao M, Kao A, Kölsch Y, Kumar A, Kunze VP, Rasys AM, Richardson R, Baier H, Lucas RJ, Li W, Meister M, Trachtenberg JT, Yan W, Peng YR, Sanes JR, Shekhar K. Evolution of neuronal cell classes and types in the vertebrate retina. bioRxiv. 2023 Apr 08. view on PubMed

Tan L, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT. The Development of Receptive Field Tuning Properties in Mouse Binocular Primary Visual Cortex. J Neurosci. 2022 04 27; 42(17):3546-3556. view on PubMed

Cheng S, Butrus S, Tan L, Xu R, Sagireddy S, Trachtenberg JT, Shekhar K, Zipursky SL. Vision-dependent specification of cell types and function in the developing cortex. Cell. 2022 01 20; 185(2):311-327.e24. view on PubMed

Tan L, Ringach DL, Zipursky SL, Trachtenberg JT. Vision is required for the formation of binocular neurons prior to the classical critical period. Curr Biol. 2021 10 11; 31(19):4305-4313.e5. view on PubMed

Tan L, Tring E, Ringach DL, Zipursky SL, Trachtenberg JT. Vision Changes the Cellular Composition of Binocular Circuitry during the Critical Period. Neuron. 2020 11 25; 108(4):735-747.e6. view on PubMed

Garcia-Junco-Clemente P, Tring E, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT. State-Dependent Subnetworks of Parvalbumin-Expressing Interneurons in Neocortex. Cell Rep. 2019 02 26; 26(9):2282-2288.e3. view on PubMed

Yaeger CE, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT. Neuromodulatory control of localized dendritic spiking in critical period cortex. Nature. 2019 03; 567(7746):100-104. view on PubMed

Jimenez LO, Tring E, Trachtenberg JT, Ringach DL. Local tuning biases in mouse primary visual cortex. J Neurophysiol. 2018 07 01; 120(1):274-280. view on PubMed

Frank AC, Huang S, Zhou M, Gdalyahu A, Kastellakis G, Silva TK, Lu E, Wen X, Poirazi P, Trachtenberg JT, Silva AJ. Hotspots of dendritic spine turnover facilitate clustered spine addition and learning and memory. Nat Commun. 2018 01 29; 9(1):422. view on PubMed

Garcia-Junco-Clemente P, Ikrar T, Tring E, Xu X, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT. An inhibitory pull-push circuit in frontal cortex. Nat Neurosci. 2017 Mar; 20(3):389-392. view on PubMed

Baohan A, Ikrar T, Tring E, Xu X, Trachtenberg JT. Pten and EphB4 regulate the establishment of perisomatic inhibition in mouse visual cortex. Nat Commun. 2016 09 09; 7:12829. view on PubMed

Ringach DL, Mineault PJ, Tring E, Olivas ND, Garcia-Junco-Clemente P, Trachtenberg JT. Spatial clustering of tuning in mouse primary visual cortex. Nat Commun. 2016 08 02; 7:12270. view on PubMed

Mineault PJ, Tring E, Trachtenberg JT, Ringach DL. Enhanced Spatial Resolution During Locomotion and Heightened Attention in Mouse Primary Visual Cortex. J Neurosci. 2016 06 15; 36(24):6382-92. view on PubMed

Trachtenberg JT. Parvalbumin Interneurons: All Forest, No Trees. Neuron. 2015 Jul 15; 87(2):247-8. view on PubMed

Trachtenberg JT. Competition, inhibition, and critical periods of cortical plasticity. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015 Dec; 35:44-8. view on PubMed

Gdalyahu A, Lazaro M, Penagarikano O, Golshani P, Trachtenberg JT, Geschwind DH. Correction: The Autism Related Protein Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2 (CNTNAP2) Stabilizes New Spines: An In Vivo Mouse Study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(5):e0129638. view on PubMed

Gdalyahu A, Lazaro M, Penagarikano O, Golshani P, Trachtenberg JT, Geschwind DH, Gescwind DH. The Autism Related Protein Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2 (CNTNAP2) Stabilizes New Spines: An In Vivo Mouse Study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(5):e0125633. view on PubMed

Czajkowski R, Jayaprakash B, Wiltgen B, Rogerson T, Guzman-Karlsson MC, Barth AL, Trachtenberg JT, Silva AJ. Encoding and storage of spatial information in the retrosplenial cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jun 10; 111(23):8661-6. view on PubMed

Garcia-Junco-Clemente P, Chow DK, Tring E, Lazaro MT, Trachtenberg JT, Golshani P. Overexpression of calcium-activated potassium channels underlies cortical dysfunction in a model of PTEN-associated autism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Nov 05; 110(45):18297-302. view on PubMed

Kuhlman SJ, Olivas ND, Tring E, Ikrar T, Xu X, Trachtenberg JT. A disinhibitory microcircuit initiates critical-period plasticity in the visual cortex. Nature. 2013 Sep 26; 501(7468):543-6. view on PubMed

Gdalyahu A, Tring E, Polack PO, Gruver R, Golshani P, Fanselow MS, Silva AJ, Trachtenberg JT. Associative fear learning enhances sparse network coding in primary sensory cortex. Neuron. 2012 Jul 12; 75(1):121-32. view on PubMed

Wyatt RM, Tring E, Trachtenberg JT. Pattern and not magnitude of neural activity determines dendritic spine stability in awake mice. Nat Neurosci. 2012 Jun 17; 15(7):949-51. view on PubMed

Holtmaat A, de Paola V, Wilbrecht L, Trachtenberg JT, Svoboda K, Portera-Cailliau C. Imaging neocortical neurons through a chronic cranial window. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2012 Jun 01; 2012(6):694-701. view on PubMed

Peñagarikano O, Abrahams BS, Herman EI, Winden KD, Gdalyahu A, Dong H, Sonnenblick LI, Gruver R, Almajano J, Bragin A, Golshani P, Trachtenberg JT, Peles E, Geschwind DH. Absence of CNTNAP2 leads to epilepsy, neuronal migration abnormalities, and core autism-related deficits. Cell. 2011 Sep 30; 147(1):235-46. view on PubMed

Kuhlman SJ, Tring E, Trachtenberg JT. Fast-spiking interneurons have an initial orientation bias that is lost with vision. Nat Neurosci. 2011 Jul 12; 14(9):1121-3. view on PubMed

Smith SL, Trachtenberg JT. The refinement of ipsilateral eye retinotopic maps is increased by removing the dominant contralateral eye in adult mice. PLoS One. 2010 Mar 29; 5(3):e9925. view on PubMed

Yuan X, Trachtenberg JT, Potter SM, Roysam B. MDL constrained 3-D grayscale skeletonization algorithm for automated extraction of dendrites and spines from fluorescence confocal images. Neuroinformatics. 2009 Dec; 7(4):213-32. view on PubMed

Matter C, Pribadi M, Liu X, Trachtenberg JT. Delta-catenin is required for the maintenance of neural structure and function in mature cortex in vivo. Neuron. 2009 Nov 12; 64(3):320-7. view on PubMed

Knott GW, Holtmaat A, Trachtenberg JT, Svoboda K, Welker E. A protocol for preparing GFP-labeled neurons previously imaged in vivo and in slice preparations for light and electron microscopic analysis. Nat Protoc. 2009; 4(8):1145-56. view on PubMed

Holtmaat A, Bonhoeffer T, Chow DK, Chuckowree J, De Paola V, Hofer SB, Hübener M, Keck T, Knott G, Lee WC, Mostany R, Mrsic-Flogel TD, Nedivi E, Portera-Cailliau C, Svoboda K, Trachtenberg JT, Wilbrecht L. Long-term, high-resolution imaging in the mouse neocortex through a chronic cranial window. Nat Protoc. 2009; 4(8):1128-44. view on PubMed

Chow DK, Groszer M, Pribadi M, Machniki M, Carmichael ST, Liu X, Trachtenberg JT. Laminar and compartmental regulation of dendritic growth in mature cortex. Nat Neurosci. 2009 Feb; 12(2):116-8. view on PubMed

Faguet J, Maranhao B, Smith SL, Trachtenberg JT. Ipsilateral eye cortical maps are uniquely sensitive to binocular plasticity. J Neurophysiol. 2009 Feb; 101(2):855-61. view on PubMed

Chen BE, Trachtenberg JT, Holtmaat AJ, Svoboda K. Long-term, high-resolution imaging in the neocortex in vivo. CSH Protoc. 2008 Jan 01; 2008:pdb.prot4902. view on PubMed

Li W, Zhou Y, Jentsch JD, Brown RA, Tian X, Ehninger D, Hennah W, Peltonen L, Lönnqvist J, Huttunen MO, Kaprio J, Trachtenberg JT, Silva AJ, Cannon TD. Specific developmental disruption of disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 function results in schizophrenia-related phenotypes in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Nov 13; 104(46):18280-5. view on PubMed

Kang H, Tian L, Son YJ, Zuo Y, Procaccino D, Love F, Hayworth C, Trachtenberg J, Mikesh M, Sutton L, Ponomareva O, Mignone J, Enikolopov G, Rimer M, Thompson W. Regulation of the intermediate filament protein nestin at rodent neuromuscular junctions by innervation and activity. J Neurosci. 2007 May 30; 27(22):5948-57. view on PubMed

Smith SL, Trachtenberg JT. Experience-dependent binocular competition in the visual cortex begins at eye opening. Nat Neurosci. 2007 Mar; 10(3):370-5. view on PubMed

Holtmaat AJ, Trachtenberg JT, Wilbrecht L, Shepherd GM, Zhang X, Knott GW, Svoboda K. Transient and persistent dendritic spines in the neocortex in vivo. Neuron. 2005 Jan 20; 45(2):279-91. view on PubMed

Trachtenberg JT, Chen BE, Knott GW, Feng G, Sanes JR, Welker E, Svoboda K. Long-term in vivo imaging of experience-dependent synaptic plasticity in adult cortex. Nature. 2002 Dec 19-26; 420(6917):788-94. view on PubMed