Persistent Hypersynchronization of Neocortical Neurons in the Mocha Mutant of Mouse

Abstract
A recessive mutation in the mouse at the mocha locus (mh, chromosome 10) modulates the synchronous synaptic activation of neocortical neurons, resulting in a constant 6-7 Hz (theta) wave pattern in the electrocorticogram. The gene-linked brain rhythm is unaffected by motor behavior and cannot be desyn-chronized by sensory stimuli. This exemplary neurological mutation affecting cortical excitability is the first to reveal clearly that the predominance of a specific pattern of spontaneous brain wave activity can be inherited as a recessive trait.