Layer IV of the primary somatosensory cortex has the highest complexity under anesthesia and cortical complexity is modulated by specific thalamic inputs

The system complexity, as calculated from correlation dimension, embedded in each layer and its modulation by specific inputs and general excitatory state are not yet known. The aims of present study were to estimate the system complexity across the cortical layers by analyzing intracortical EEG signals using a nonlinear analytical method, and to identify how layer-related complexity varies with the alteration of thalamic input and brain state. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized under l% halothane. Sixteen channels of evoked or spontaneous EEG signals were recorded simultaneously across the six cortical layers in the somatosensory cortex with a single Michigan probe. The system complexity was assessed by computing correlation dimension, D2, based on the Nonlinear Time Series Analysis data analysis program. Cortical layer IV exhibited a D2 value, 3.24, that was significantly higher than that of the other cortical layers. The D2 values in layers IV and II/III were significantly reduced after reversible deactivation of the ventral posterior lateral thalamic nucleus. D2 decreased with increases in administered halothane concentration from 0.75% to 2.0%, particularly in layer IV. The present findings suggest that cortical layer IV maintains a higher complexity than the other layers and that the complexity of the mid-cortical layers is subject to regulation from specific thalamic inputs and more sensitive to changes in the general state of brain excitation.