Subtype-specific modulation of inhibitory interneurons by general anesthetics

This dataset contains in vivo two-photon calcium imaging recordings of genetically identified excitatory neurons, parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons, and somatostatin-positive (SST+) interneurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) of adult mice under different general anesthetics (isoflurane, propofol, and ketamine).
Neuronal activity was measured via GCaMP6f fluorescence signals under awake conditions and 10–15 minutes after administration of each anesthetic. Imaging was performed through a chronic cranial window at 2 Hz frame rate using a laser-scanning two-photon microscope. Transgenic mouse lines (PV-Cre, SST-Cre) and Cre-dependent AAV vectors were used to achieve cell-type-specific expression of GCaMP6f. Imaging fields were matched across conditions for within-subject comparison.
The data include ΔF/F traces, event detection outputs, and metrics such as calcium event frequency, amplitude, and pairwise neuronal correlation (cosine similarity). The dataset highlights consistent suppression of neuronal activity by all anesthetics across cell types, with ketamine producing paradoxical activation in a subset of SST interneurons, suggesting disinhibitory network dynamics. Network-level synchrony was reduced in all anesthetic conditions.
These data provide insight into how distinct anesthetic agents modulate inhibitory and excitatory circuits in vivo. They may inform future studies on the cellular mechanisms of anesthesia and the development of subtype-targeted anesthetic strategies.