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Abstract
Paleocortex, the olfactory cortex and evolutionary precursor of neocortex, remains comparatively understudied despite its relevance for understanding cortical processing. This dissertation establishes foundational physiological properties of paleocortex using whole‑cell patch‑clamp recordings in juvenile mouse brain slices. First, a slice preparation spanning several paleocortical subregions was developed to examine excitatory connectivity across regions. Next, the intrinsic and synaptic properties of anterior olfactory cortex (AOC) pyramidal neurons—previously uncharacterized with whole‑cell methods—were defined. Finally, expression patterns across eight transgenic and knock‑in mouse lines were evaluated to begin identifying paleocortical cell types. This work provides essential tools and baseline knowledge for future study of paleocortical structure and function.