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Steinfeld R, Tacão-Monteiro A, Renart A. Differential representation of sensory information and behavioral choice across layers of the mouse auditory cortex. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2200-2211.e6. [PMID: 38733991 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
The activity of neurons in sensory areas sometimes covaries with upcoming choices in decision-making tasks. However, the prevalence, causal origin, and functional role of choice-related activity remain controversial. Understanding the circuit-logic of decision signals in sensory areas will require understanding their laminar specificity, but simultaneous recordings of neural activity across the cortical layers in forced-choice discrimination tasks have not yet been performed. Here, we describe neural activity from such recordings in the auditory cortex of mice during a frequency discrimination task with delayed report, which, as we show, requires the auditory cortex. Stimulus-related information was widely distributed across layers but disappeared very quickly after stimulus offset. Choice selectivity emerged toward the end of the delay period-suggesting a top-down origin-but only in the deep layers. Early stimulus-selective and late choice-selective deep neural ensembles were correlated, suggesting that the choice-selective signal fed back to the auditory cortex is not just action specific but develops as a consequence of the sensory-motor contingency imposed by the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Steinfeld
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - André Tacão-Monteiro
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alfonso Renart
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal.
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2
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Montagni E, Resta F, Tort-Colet N, Scaglione A, Mazzamuto G, Destexhe A, Pavone FS, Allegra Mascaro AL. Mapping brain state-dependent sensory responses across the mouse cortex. iScience 2024; 27:109692. [PMID: 38689637 PMCID: PMC11059133 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Sensory information must be integrated across a distributed brain network for stimulus processing and perception. Recent studies have revealed specific spatiotemporal patterns of cortical activation for the early and late components of sensory-evoked responses, which are associated with stimulus features and perception, respectively. Here, we investigated how the brain state influences the sensory-evoked activation across the mouse cortex. We utilized isoflurane to modulate the brain state and conducted wide-field calcium imaging of Thy1-GCaMP6f mice to monitor distributed activation evoked by multi-whisker stimulation. Our findings reveal that the level of anesthesia strongly shapes the spatiotemporal features and the functional connectivity of the sensory-activated network. As anesthesia levels decrease, we observe increasingly complex responses, accompanied by the emergence of the late component within the sensory-evoked response. The persistence of the late component under anesthesia raises new questions regarding the potential existence of perception during unconscious states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Montagni
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Resta
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Núria Tort-Colet
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
- Barcelonaβ Brain Research Center, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alessandro Scaglione
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Giacomo Mazzamuto
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Alain Destexhe
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
| | - Francesco Saverio Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Anna Letizia Allegra Mascaro
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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3
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Brünner H, Kim H, Ährlund-Richter S, van Lunteren JA, Crestani AP, Meletis K, Carlén M. Cell-type-specific representation of spatial context in the rat prefrontal cortex. iScience 2024; 27:109743. [PMID: 38711459 PMCID: PMC11070673 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to represent one's own position in relation to cues, goals, or threats is crucial to successful goal-directed behavior. Using optotagging in knock-in rats expressing Cre recombinase in parvalbumin (PV) neurons (PV-Cre rats), we demonstrate cell-type-specific encoding of spatial and movement variables in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during goal-directed reward seeking. Single neurons encoded the conjunction of the animal's spatial position and the run direction, referred to as the spatial context. The spatial context was most prominently represented by the inhibitory PV interneurons. Movement toward the reward was signified by increased local field potential (LFP) oscillations in the gamma band but this LFP signature was not related to the spatial information in the neuronal firing. The results highlight how spatial information is incorporated into cognitive operations in the mPFC. The presented PV-Cre line opens the door for expanded research approaches in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Brünner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hoseok Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Ana Paula Crestani
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Marie Carlén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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4
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Gonzales DL, Khan HF, Keri HVS, Yadav S, Steward C, Muller LE, Pluta SR, Jayant K. A Translaminar Spacetime Code Supports Touch-Evoked Traveling Waves. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.09.593381. [PMID: 38766232 PMCID: PMC11100787 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.09.593381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Linking sensory-evoked traveling waves to underlying circuit patterns is critical to understanding the neural basis of sensory perception. To form this link, we performed simultaneous electrophysiology and two-photon calcium imaging through transparent NeuroGrids and mapped touch-evoked cortical traveling waves and their underlying microcircuit dynamics. In awake mice, both passive and active whisker touch elicited traveling waves within and across barrels, with a fast early component followed by a variable late wave that lasted hundreds of milliseconds post-stimulus. Strikingly, late-wave dynamics were modulated by stimulus value and correlated with task performance. Mechanistically, the late wave component was i) modulated by motor feedback, ii) complemented by a sparse ensemble pattern across layer 2/3, which a balanced-state network model reconciled via inhibitory stabilization, and iii) aligned to regenerative Layer-5 apical dendritic Ca 2+ events. Our results reveal a translaminar spacetime pattern organized by cortical feedback in the sensory cortex that supports touch-evoked traveling waves. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT AND HIGHLIGHTS Whisker touch evokes both early- and late-traveling waves in the barrel cortex over 100's of millisecondsReward reinforcement modulates wave dynamics Late wave emergence coincides with network sparsity in L23 and time-locked L5 dendritic Ca 2+ spikes Experimental and computational results link motor feedback to distinct translaminar spacetime patterns.
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Gauld OM, Packer AM, Russell LE, Dalgleish HWP, Iuga M, Sacadura F, Roth A, Clark BA, Häusser M. A latent pool of neurons silenced by sensory-evoked inhibition can be recruited to enhance perception. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00276-9. [PMID: 38729150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
To investigate which activity patterns in sensory cortex are relevant for perceptual decision-making, we combined two-photon calcium imaging and targeted two-photon optogenetics to interrogate barrel cortex activity during perceptual discrimination. We trained mice to discriminate bilateral whisker deflections and report decisions by licking left or right. Two-photon calcium imaging revealed sparse coding of contralateral and ipsilateral whisker input in layer 2/3, with most neurons remaining silent during the task. Activating pyramidal neurons using two-photon holographic photostimulation evoked a perceptual bias that scaled with the number of neurons photostimulated. This effect was dominated by optogenetic activation of non-coding neurons, which did not show sensory or motor-related activity during task performance. Photostimulation also revealed potent recruitment of cortical inhibition during sensory processing, which strongly and preferentially suppressed non-coding neurons. Our results suggest that a pool of non-coding neurons, selectively suppressed by network inhibition during sensory processing, can be recruited to enhance perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver M Gauld
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London W1T 4JG, UK.
| | - Adam M Packer
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Lloyd E Russell
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Henry W P Dalgleish
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Maya Iuga
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Francisco Sacadura
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Arnd Roth
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Beverley A Clark
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Michael Häusser
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Finkel EA, Chang YT, Dasgupta R, Lubin EE, Xu D, Minamisawa G, Chang AJ, Cohen JY, O'Connor DH. Tactile processing in mouse cortex depends on action context. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113991. [PMID: 38573855 PMCID: PMC11097894 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain receives constant tactile input, but only a subset guides ongoing behavior. Actions associated with tactile stimuli thus endow them with behavioral relevance. It remains unclear how the relevance of tactile stimuli affects processing in the somatosensory (S1) cortex. We developed a cross-modal selection task in which head-fixed mice switched between responding to tactile stimuli in the presence of visual distractors or to visual stimuli in the presence of tactile distractors using licking movements to the left or right side in different blocks of trials. S1 spiking encoded tactile stimuli, licking actions, and direction of licking in response to tactile but not visual stimuli. Bidirectional optogenetic manipulations showed that sensory-motor activity in S1 guided behavior when touch but not vision was relevant. Our results show that S1 activity and its impact on behavior depend on the actions associated with a tactile stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Finkel
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Yi-Ting Chang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Rajan Dasgupta
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Emily E Lubin
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Duo Xu
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Genki Minamisawa
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Anna J Chang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Jeremiah Y Cohen
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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Nivinsky Margalit S, Slovin H. Encoding luminance surfaces in the visual cortex of mice and monkeys: difference in responses to edge and center. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae165. [PMID: 38652553 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Luminance and spatial contrast provide information on the surfaces and edges of objects. We investigated neural responses to black and white surfaces in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice and monkeys. Unlike primates that use their fovea to inspect objects with high acuity, mice lack a fovea and have low visual acuity. It thus remains unclear whether monkeys and mice share similar neural mechanisms to process surfaces. The animals were presented with white or black surfaces and the population responses were measured at high spatial and temporal resolution using voltage-sensitive dye imaging. In mice, the population response to the surface was not edge-dominated with a tendency to center-dominance, whereas in monkeys the response was edge-dominated with a "hole" in the center of the surface. The population response to the surfaces in both species exhibited suppression relative to a grating stimulus. These results reveal the differences in spatial patterns to luminance surfaces in the V1 of mice and monkeys and provide evidence for a shared suppression process relative to grating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shany Nivinsky Margalit
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Hamutal Slovin
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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8
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Yonk AJ, Linares-García I, Pasternak L, Juliani SE, Gradwell MA, George AJ, Margolis DJ. Role of Posterior Medial Thalamus in the Modulation of Striatal Circuitry and Choice Behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.21.586152. [PMID: 38585753 PMCID: PMC10996534 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.21.586152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The posterior medial (POm) thalamus is heavily interconnected with sensory and motor circuitry and is likely involved in behavioral modulation and sensorimotor integration. POm provides axonal projections to the dorsal striatum, a hotspot of sensorimotor processing, yet the role of POm-striatal projections has remained undetermined. Using optogenetics with slice electrophysiology, we found that POm provides robust synaptic input to direct and indirect pathway striatal spiny projection neurons (D1- and D2-SPNs, respectively) and parvalbumin-expressing fast spiking interneurons (PVs). During the performance of a whisker-based tactile discrimination task, POm-striatal projections displayed learning-related activation correlating with anticipatory, but not reward-related, pupil dilation. Inhibition of POm-striatal axons across learning caused slower reaction times and an increase in the number of training sessions for expert performance. Our data indicate that POm-striatal inputs provide a behaviorally relevant arousal-related signal, which may prime striatal circuitry for efficient integration of subsequent choice-related inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J. Yonk
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Ivan Linares-García
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Logan Pasternak
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Sofia E. Juliani
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Mark A. Gradwell
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Arlene J. George
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - David J. Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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Russell LE, Fişek M, Yang Z, Tan LP, Packer AM, Dalgleish HWP, Chettih SN, Harvey CD, Häusser M. The influence of cortical activity on perception depends on behavioral state and sensory context. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2456. [PMID: 38503769 PMCID: PMC10951313 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46484-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanistic link between neural circuit activity and behavior remains unclear. While manipulating cortical activity can bias certain behaviors and elicit artificial percepts, some tasks can still be solved when cortex is silenced or removed. Here, mice were trained to perform a visual detection task during which we selectively targeted groups of visually responsive and co-tuned neurons in L2/3 of primary visual cortex (V1) for two-photon photostimulation. The influence of photostimulation was conditional on two key factors: the behavioral state of the animal and the contrast of the visual stimulus. The detection of low-contrast stimuli was enhanced by photostimulation, while the detection of high-contrast stimuli was suppressed, but crucially, only when mice were highly engaged in the task. When mice were less engaged, our manipulations of cortical activity had no effect on behavior. The behavioral changes were linked to specific changes in neuronal activity. The responses of non-photostimulated neurons in the local network were also conditional on two factors: their functional similarity to the photostimulated neurons and the contrast of the visual stimulus. Functionally similar neurons were increasingly suppressed by photostimulation with increasing visual stimulus contrast, correlating with the change in behavior. Our results show that the influence of cortical activity on perception is not fixed, but dynamically and contextually modulated by behavioral state, ongoing activity and the routing of information through specific circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lloyd E Russell
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mehmet Fişek
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Zidan Yang
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lynn Pei Tan
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Adam M Packer
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Henry W P Dalgleish
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Michael Häusser
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK.
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10
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Chang YT, Finkel EA, Xu D, O'Connor DH. Rule-based modulation of a sensorimotor transformation across cortical areas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.21.554194. [PMID: 37662301 PMCID: PMC10473613 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Flexible responses to sensory stimuli based on changing rules are critical for adapting to a dynamic environment. However, it remains unclear how the brain encodes rule information and uses this information to guide behavioral responses to sensory stimuli. Here, we made single-unit recordings while head-fixed mice performed a cross-modal sensory selection task in which they switched between two rules in different blocks of trials: licking in response to tactile stimuli applied to a whisker while rejecting visual stimuli, or licking to visual stimuli while rejecting the tactile stimuli. Along a cortical sensorimotor processing stream including the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory areas, and the medial (MM) and anterolateral (ALM) motor areas, the single-trial activity of individual neurons distinguished between the two rules both prior to and in response to the tactile stimulus. Variable rule-dependent responses to identical stimuli could in principle occur via appropriate configuration of pre-stimulus preparatory states of a neural population, which would shape the subsequent response. We hypothesized that neural populations in S1, S2, MM and ALM would show preparatory activity states that were set in a rule-dependent manner to cause processing of sensory information according to the current rule. This hypothesis was supported for the motor cortical areas by findings that (1) the current task rule could be decoded from pre-stimulus population activity in ALM and MM; (2) neural subspaces containing the population activity differed between the two rules; and (3) optogenetic disruption of pre-stimulus states within ALM and MM impaired task performance. Our findings indicate that flexible selection of an appropriate action in response to a sensory input can occur via configuration of preparatory states in the motor cortex.
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Oryshchuk A, Sourmpis C, Weverbergh J, Asri R, Esmaeili V, Modirshanechi A, Gerstner W, Petersen CCH, Crochet S. Distributed and specific encoding of sensory, motor, and decision information in the mouse neocortex during goal-directed behavior. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113618. [PMID: 38150365 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Goal-directed behaviors involve coordinated activity in many cortical areas, but whether the encoding of task variables is distributed across areas or is more specifically represented in distinct areas remains unclear. Here, we compared representations of sensory, motor, and decision information in the whisker primary somatosensory cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and tongue-jaw primary motor cortex in mice trained to lick in response to a whisker stimulus with mice that were not taught this association. Irrespective of learning, properties of the sensory stimulus were best encoded in the sensory cortex, whereas fine movement kinematics were best represented in the motor cortex. However, movement initiation and the decision to lick in response to the whisker stimulus were represented in all three areas, with decision neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex being more selective, showing minimal sensory responses in miss trials and motor responses during spontaneous licks. Our results reconcile previous studies indicating highly specific vs. highly distributed sensorimotor processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Oryshchuk
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christos Sourmpis
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; School of Life Sciences and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julie Weverbergh
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Reza Asri
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vahid Esmaeili
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alireza Modirshanechi
- School of Life Sciences and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wulfram Gerstner
- School of Life Sciences and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Sylvain Crochet
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), 6900 Lyon, France.
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12
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Kawatani M, Yamashita T. In Vivo Whole-Cell Recording from the Mouse Brain. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2794:245-257. [PMID: 38630234 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3810-1_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Measuring the membrane potential dynamics of neurons offers a comprehensive understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that form their spiking activity, thus playing a crucial role in unraveling the mechanistic processes governing brain function. Techniques for intracellular recordings of membrane potentials pioneered in the 1940s have witnessed significant advancements since their inception. Among these, whole-cell patch-clamp recording has emerged as a leading method for measuring neuronal membrane potentials due to its high stability and broad applicability ranging from cultured cells to brain slices and even behaving animals. This chapter provides a detailed protocol to acquire stable whole-cell recordings from neurons in the cerebral cortex of awake, head-restrained mice. Significant enhancements to our protocol include implanting a metal head-post using adhesive resin cement and preparing a recording pipette with a long shank for targeting deeper brain regions. This protocol, once implemented, enables whole-cell recordings up to 2.5 mM beneath the cortical surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Kawatani
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Takayuki Yamashita
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan.
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13
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Stachniak TJ, Argunsah AÖ, Yang JW, Cai L, Karayannis T. Presynaptic Kainate Receptors onto Somatostatin Interneurons Are Recruited by Activity throughout Development and Contribute to Cortical Sensory Adaptation. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7101-7118. [PMID: 37709538 PMCID: PMC10601374 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1461-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Somatostatin (SST) interneurons produce delayed inhibition because of the short-term facilitation of their excitatory inputs created by the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) and presynaptic GluK2-containing kainate receptors (GluK2-KARs). Using mice of both sexes, we find that as synaptic facilitation at layer (L)2/3 SST cell inputs increases during the first few postnatal weeks, so does GluK2-KAR expression. Removal of sensory input by whisker trimming does not affect mGluR7 but prevents the emergence of presynaptic GluK2-KARs, which can be restored by allowing whisker regrowth or by acute calmodulin activation. Conversely, late trimming or acute inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is sufficient to reduce GluK2-KAR activity. This developmental and activity-dependent regulation also produces a specific reduction of L4 GluK2-KARs that advances in parallel with the maturation of sensory processing in L2/3. Finally, we find that removal of both GluK2-KARs and mGluR7 from the synapse eliminates short-term facilitation and reduces sensory adaptation to repetitive stimuli, first in L4 of somatosensory cortex, then later in development in L2/3. The dynamic regulation of presynaptic GluK2-KARs potentially allows for flexible scaling of late inhibition and sensory adaptation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Excitatory synapses onto somatostatin (SST) interneurons express presynaptic, calcium-permeable kainate receptors containing the GluK2 subunit (GluK2-KARs), activated by high-frequency activity. In this study we find that their presence on L2/3 SST synapses in the barrel cortex is not based on a hardwired genetic program but instead is regulated by sensory activity, in contrast to that of mGluR7. Thus, in addition to standard synaptic potentiation and depression mechanisms, excitatory synapses onto SST neurons undergo an activity-dependent presynaptic modulation that uses GluK2-KARs. Further, we present evidence that loss of the frequency-dependent synaptic components (both GluK2-KARs and mGluR7 via Elfn1 deletion) contributes to a decrease in the sensory adaptation commonly seen on repetitive stimulus presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tevye J Stachniak
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ali Ö Argunsah
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jenq-Wei Yang
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Linbi Cai
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Theofanis Karayannis
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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14
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Bech P, Crochet S, Dard R, Ghaderi P, Liu Y, Malekzadeh M, Petersen CCH, Pulin M, Renard A, Sourmpis C. Striatal Dopamine Signals and Reward Learning. FUNCTION 2023; 4:zqad056. [PMID: 37841525 PMCID: PMC10572094 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqad056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We are constantly bombarded by sensory information and constantly making decisions on how to act. In order to optimally adapt behavior, we must judge which sequences of sensory inputs and actions lead to successful outcomes in specific circumstances. Neuronal circuits of the basal ganglia have been strongly implicated in action selection, as well as the learning and execution of goal-directed behaviors, with accumulating evidence supporting the hypothesis that midbrain dopamine neurons might encode a reward signal useful for learning. Here, we review evidence suggesting that midbrain dopaminergic neurons signal reward prediction error, driving synaptic plasticity in the striatum underlying learning. We focus on phasic increases in action potential firing of midbrain dopamine neurons in response to unexpected rewards. These dopamine neurons prominently innervate the dorsal and ventral striatum. In the striatum, the released dopamine binds to dopamine receptors, where it regulates the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. The increase of striatal dopamine accompanying an unexpected reward activates dopamine type 1 receptors (D1Rs) initiating a signaling cascade that promotes long-term potentiation of recently active glutamatergic input onto striatonigral neurons. Sensorimotor-evoked glutamatergic input, which is active immediately before reward delivery will thus be strengthened onto neurons in the striatum expressing D1Rs. In turn, these neurons cause disinhibition of brainstem motor centers and disinhibition of the motor thalamus, thus promoting motor output to reinforce rewarded stimulus-action outcomes. Although many details of the hypothesis need further investigation, altogether, it seems likely that dopamine signals in the striatum might underlie important aspects of goal-directed reward-based learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pol Bech
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Crochet
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Robin Dard
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Parviz Ghaderi
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Yanqi Liu
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Meriam Malekzadeh
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Mauro Pulin
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Anthony Renard
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Christos Sourmpis
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
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15
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Li WR, Nakano T, Mizutani K, Matsubara T, Kawatani M, Mukai Y, Danjo T, Ito H, Aizawa H, Yamanaka A, Petersen CCH, Yoshimoto J, Yamashita T. Neural mechanisms underlying uninstructed orofacial movements during reward-based learning behaviors. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3436-3451.e7. [PMID: 37536343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
During reward-based learning tasks, animals make orofacial movements that globally influence brain activity at the timings of reward expectation and acquisition. These orofacial movements are not explicitly instructed and typically appear along with goal-directed behaviors. Here, we show that reinforcing optogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (oDAS) in mice is sufficient to induce orofacial movements in the whiskers and nose without accompanying goal-directed behaviors. Pavlovian conditioning with a sensory cue and oDAS elicited cue-locked and oDAS-aligned orofacial movements, which were distinguishable by a machine-learning model. Inhibition or knockout of dopamine D1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens inhibited oDAS-induced motion but spared cue-locked motion, suggesting differential regulation of these two types of orofacial motions. In contrast, inactivation of the whisker primary motor cortex (wM1) abolished both types of orofacial movements. We found specific neuronal populations in wM1 representing either oDAS-aligned or cue-locked whisker movements. Notably, optogenetic stimulation of wM1 neurons successfully replicated these two types of movements. Our results thus suggest that accumbal D1-receptor-dependent and -independent neuronal signals converge in the wM1 for facilitating distinct uninstructed orofacial movements during a reward-based learning task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Ru Li
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Department of Functional Anatomy & Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Takashi Nakano
- Department of Computational Biology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Kohta Mizutani
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takanori Matsubara
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kawatani
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Department of Functional Anatomy & Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Mukai
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Teruko Danjo
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Hikaru Ito
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; Research Facility Center for Science and Technology, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
| | - Hidenori Aizawa
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junichiro Yoshimoto
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Biomedical Data Science, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan.
| | - Takayuki Yamashita
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan.
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16
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Shu Y, Hasenstaub A, McCormick DA. The h-current controls cortical recurrent network activity through modulation of dendrosomatic communication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548753. [PMID: 37502942 PMCID: PMC10370005 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental feature of the cerebral cortex is the ability to rapidly turn on and off maintained activity within ensembles of neurons through recurrent excitation balanced by inhibition. Here we demonstrate that reduction of the h-current, which is especially prominent in pyramidal cell dendrites, strongly increases the ability of local cortical networks to generate maintained recurrent activity. Reduction of the h-current resulted in hyperpolarization and increase in input resistance of both the somata and apical dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal cells, while strongly increasing the dendrosomatic transfer of low (<20 Hz) frequencies, causing an increased responsiveness to dynamic clamp-induced recurrent network-like activity injected into the dendrites and substantially increasing the duration of spontaneous Up states. We propose that modulation of the h-current may strongly control the ability of cortical networks to generate recurrent persistent activity and the formation and dissolution of neuronal ensembles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousheng Shu
- The Fudan University Fenglin Campus, 131 Dong’an Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
| | - Andrea Hasenstaub
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS), University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, #514B, San Francisco CA 94158
| | - David A. McCormick
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510; Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
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17
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Claar LD, Rembado I, Kuyat JR, Russo S, Marks LC, Olsen SR, Koch C. Cortico-thalamo-cortical interactions modulate electrically evoked EEG responses in mice. eLife 2023; 12:RP84630. [PMID: 37358562 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Perturbational complexity analysis predicts the presence of consciousness in volunteers and patients by stimulating the brain with brief pulses, recording EEG responses, and computing their spatiotemporal complexity. We examined the underlying neural circuits in mice by directly stimulating cortex while recording with EEG and Neuropixels probes during wakefulness and isoflurane anesthesia. When mice are awake, stimulation of deep cortical layers reliably evokes locally a brief pulse of excitation, followed by a biphasic sequence of 120 ms profound off period and a rebound excitation. A similar pattern, partially attributed to burst spiking, is seen in thalamic nuclei and is associated with a pronounced late component in the evoked EEG. We infer that cortico-thalamo-cortical interactions drive the long-lasting evoked EEG signals elicited by deep cortical stimulation during the awake state. The cortical and thalamic off period and rebound excitation, and the late component in the EEG, are reduced during running and absent during anesthesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D Claar
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
| | - Irene Rembado
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
| | | | - Simone Russo
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lydia C Marks
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
| | - Shawn R Olsen
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
| | - Christof Koch
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, United States
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18
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Ahissar E, Nelinger G, Assa E, Karp O, Saraf-Sinik I. Thalamocortical loops as temporal demodulators across senses. Commun Biol 2023; 6:562. [PMID: 37237075 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04881-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory information is coded in space and in time. The organization of neuronal activity in space maintains straightforward relationships with the spatial organization of the perceived environment. In contrast, the temporal organization of neuronal activity is not trivially related to external features due to sensor motion. Still, the temporal organization shares similar principles across sensory modalities. Likewise, thalamocortical circuits exhibit common features across senses. Focusing on touch, vision, and audition, we review their shared coding principles and suggest that thalamocortical systems include circuits that allow analogous recoding mechanisms in all three senses. These thalamocortical circuits constitute oscillations-based phase-locked loops, that translate temporally-coded sensory information to rate-coded cortical signals, signals that can integrate information across sensory and motor modalities. The loop also allows predictive locking to the onset of future modulations of the sensory signal. The paper thus suggests a theoretical framework in which a common thalamocortical mechanism implements temporal demodulation across senses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Ahissar
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
| | - Guy Nelinger
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Eldad Assa
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Ofer Karp
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Inbar Saraf-Sinik
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
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19
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Diamond ME, Toso A. Tactile cognition in rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105161. [PMID: 37028580 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Since the discovery 50 years ago of the precisely ordered representation of the whiskers in somatosensory cortex, the rodent tactile sensory system has been a fertile ground for the study of sensory processing. With the growing sophistication of touch-based behavioral paradigms, together with advances in neurophysiological methodology, a new approach is emerging. By posing increasingly complex perceptual and memory problems, in many cases analogous to human psychophysical tasks, investigators now explore the operations underlying rodent problem solving. We define the neural basis of tactile cognition as the transformation from a stage in which neuronal activity encodes elemental features, local in space and in time, to a stage in which neuronal activity is an explicit representation of the behavioral operations underlying the current task. Selecting a set of whisker-based behavioral tasks, we show that rodents achieve high level performance through the workings of neuronal circuits that are accessible, decodable, and manipulatable. As a means towards exploring tactile cognition, this review presents leading psychophysical paradigms and, where known, their neural correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew E Diamond
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Toso
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
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20
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Bermudez-Contreras E, Schjetnan AGP, Luczak A, Mohajerani MH. Sensory experience selectively reorganizes the late component of evoked responses. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2626-2640. [PMID: 35704850 PMCID: PMC10016043 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In response to sensory stimulation, the cortex exhibits an early transient response followed by late and slower activation. Recent studies suggest that the early component represents features of the stimulus while the late component is associated with stimulus perception. Although very informative, these studies only focus on the amplitude of the evoked responses to study its relationship with sensory perception. In this work, we expand upon the study of how patterns of evoked and spontaneous activity are modified by experience at the mesoscale level using voltage and extracellular glutamate transient recordings over widespread regions of mouse dorsal neocortex. We find that repeated tactile or auditory stimulation selectively modifies the spatiotemporal patterns of cortical activity, mainly of the late evoked response in anesthetized mice injected with amphetamine and also in awake mice. This modification lasted up to 60 min and results in an increase in the amplitude of the late response after repeated stimulation and in an increase in the similarity between the spatiotemporal patterns of the late early evoked response. This similarity increase occurs only for the evoked responses of the sensory modality that received the repeated stimulation. Thus, this selective long-lasting spatiotemporal modification of the cortical activity patterns might provide evidence that evoked responses are a cortex-wide phenomenon. This work opens new questions about how perception-related cortical activity changes with sensory experience across the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Bermudez-Contreras
- Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | | | - Artur Luczak
- Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Majid H Mohajerani
- Corresponding author: Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada.
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21
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Vandevelde JR, Yang JW, Albrecht S, Lam H, Kaufmann P, Luhmann HJ, Stüttgen MC. Layer- and cell-type-specific differences in neural activity in mouse barrel cortex during a whisker detection task. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1361-1382. [PMID: 35417918 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To address the question which neocortical layers and cell types are important for the perception of a sensory stimulus, we performed multielectrode recordings in the barrel cortex of head-fixed mice performing a single-whisker go/no-go detection task with vibrotactile stimuli of differing intensities. We found that behavioral detection probability decreased gradually over the course of each session, which was well explained by a signal detection theory-based model that posits stable psychometric sensitivity and a variable decision criterion updated after each reinforcement, reflecting decreasing motivation. Analysis of multiunit activity demonstrated highest neurometric sensitivity in layer 4, which was achieved within only 30 ms after stimulus onset. At the level of single neurons, we observed substantial heterogeneity of neurometric sensitivity within and across layers, ranging from nonresponsiveness to approaching or even exceeding psychometric sensitivity. In all cortical layers, putative inhibitory interneurons on average proffered higher neurometric sensitivity than putative excitatory neurons. In infragranular layers, neurons increasing firing rate in response to stimulation featured higher sensitivities than neurons decreasing firing rate. Offline machine-learning-based analysis of videos of behavioral sessions showed that mice performed better when not moving, which at the neuronal level, was reflected by increased stimulus-evoked firing rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens R Vandevelde
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jenq-Wei Yang
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Steffen Albrecht
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Henry Lam
- Computational Intelligence, Faculty of Law, Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Paul Kaufmann
- Computational Intelligence, Faculty of Law, Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Heiko J Luhmann
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Maik C Stüttgen
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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22
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Cichon J, Wasilczuk AZ, Looger LL, Contreras D, Kelz MB, Proekt A. Ketamine triggers a switch in excitatory neuronal activity across neocortex. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:39-52. [PMID: 36424433 PMCID: PMC10823523 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01203-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The brain can become transiently disconnected from the environment while maintaining vivid, internally generated experiences. This so-called 'dissociated state' can occur in pathological conditions and under the influence of psychedelics or the anesthetic ketamine (KET). The cellular and circuit mechanisms producing the dissociative state remain poorly understood. We show in mice that KET causes spontaneously active neurons to become suppressed while previously silent neurons become spontaneously activated. This switch occurs in all cortical layers and different cortical regions, is induced by both systemic and cortical application of KET and is mediated by suppression of parvalbumin and somatostatin interneuron activity and inhibition of NMDA receptors and HCN channels. Combined, our results reveal two largely non-overlapping cortical neuronal populations-one engaged in wakefulness, the other contributing to the KET-induced brain state-and may lay the foundation for understanding how the brain might become disconnected from the surrounding environment while maintaining internal subjective experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Cichon
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Andrzej Z Wasilczuk
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Loren L Looger
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Diego Contreras
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Max B Kelz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alex Proekt
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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23
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Scott DN, Frank MJ. Adaptive control of synaptic plasticity integrates micro- and macroscopic network function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:121-144. [PMID: 36038780 PMCID: PMC9700774 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01374-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity configures interactions between neurons and is therefore likely to be a primary driver of behavioral learning and development. How this microscopic-macroscopic interaction occurs is poorly understood, as researchers frequently examine models within particular ranges of abstraction and scale. Computational neuroscience and machine learning models offer theoretically powerful analyses of plasticity in neural networks, but results are often siloed and only coarsely linked to biology. In this review, we examine connections between these areas, asking how network computations change as a function of diverse features of plasticity and vice versa. We review how plasticity can be controlled at synapses by calcium dynamics and neuromodulatory signals, the manifestation of these changes in networks, and their impacts in specialized circuits. We conclude that metaplasticity-defined broadly as the adaptive control of plasticity-forges connections across scales by governing what groups of synapses can and can't learn about, when, and to what ends. The metaplasticity we discuss acts by co-opting Hebbian mechanisms, shifting network properties, and routing activity within and across brain systems. Asking how these operations can go awry should also be useful for understanding pathology, which we address in the context of autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Scott
- Cognitive Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Michael J Frank
- Cognitive Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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24
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Goueytes D, Lassagne H, Shulz DE, Ego-Stengel V, Estebanez L. Learning in a closed-loop brain-machine interface with distributed optogenetic cortical feedback. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 36579369 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acab87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective.Distributed microstimulations at the cortical surface can efficiently deliver feedback to a subject during the manipulation of a prosthesis through a brain-machine interface (BMI). Such feedback can convey vast amounts of information to the prosthesis user and may be key to obtain an accurate control and embodiment of the prosthesis. However, so far little is known of the physiological constraints on the decoding of such patterns. Here, we aimed to test a rotary optogenetic feedback that was designed to encode efficiently the 360° movements of the robotic actuators used in prosthetics. We sought to assess its use by mice that controlled a prosthesis joint through a closed-loop BMI.Approach.We tested the ability of mice to optimize the trajectory of a virtual prosthesis joint in order to solve a rewarded reaching task. They could control the speed of the joint by modulating the activity of individual neurons in the primary motor cortex. During the task, the patterned optogenetic stimulation projected on the primary somatosensory cortex continuously delivered information to the mouse about the position of the joint.Main results.We showed that mice are able to exploit the continuous, rotating cortical feedback in the active behaving context of the task. Mice achieved better control than in the absence of feedback by detecting reward opportunities more often, and also by moving the joint faster towards the reward angular zone, and by maintaining it longer in the reward zone. Mice controlling acceleration rather than speed of the joint failed to improve motor control.Significance.These findings suggest that in the context of a closed-loop BMI, distributed cortical feedback with optimized shapes and topology can be exploited to control movement. Our study has direct applications on the closed-loop control of rotary joints that are frequently encountered in robotic prostheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian Goueytes
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Henri Lassagne
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Daniel E Shulz
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Valérie Ego-Stengel
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Luc Estebanez
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
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25
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Matteucci G, Guyoton M, Mayrhofer JM, Auffret M, Foustoukos G, Petersen CCH, El-Boustani S. Cortical sensory processing across motivational states during goal-directed behavior. Neuron 2022; 110:4176-4193.e10. [PMID: 36240769 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral states can influence performance of goal-directed sensorimotor tasks. Yet, it is unclear how altered neuronal sensory representations in these states relate to task performance and learning. We trained water-restricted mice in a two-whisker discrimination task to study cortical circuits underlying perceptual decision-making under different levels of thirst. We identified somatosensory cortices as well as the premotor cortex as part of the circuit necessary for task execution. Two-photon calcium imaging in these areas identified populations selective to sensory or motor events. Analysis of task performance during individual sessions revealed distinct behavioral states induced by decreasing levels of thirst-related motivation. Learning was better explained by improvements in motivational state control rather than sensorimotor association. Whisker sensory representations in the cortex were altered across behavioral states. In particular, whisker stimuli could be better decoded from neuronal activity during high task performance states, suggesting that state-dependent changes of sensory processing influence decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Matteucci
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel-Servet, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maëlle Guyoton
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel-Servet, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Johannes M Mayrhofer
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-SV-BMI-LSENS Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu Auffret
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-SV-BMI-LSENS Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Georgios Foustoukos
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-SV-BMI-LSENS Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-SV-BMI-LSENS Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Sami El-Boustani
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel-Servet, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland; Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-SV-BMI-LSENS Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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26
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Somatosensory ECoG-based brain-machine interface with electrical stimulation on medial forebrain bundle. Biomed Eng Lett 2022; 13:85-95. [PMID: 36711163 PMCID: PMC9873859 DOI: 10.1007/s13534-022-00256-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-machine interface (BMI) provides an alternative route for controlling an external device with one's intention. For individuals with motor-related disability, the BMI technologies can be used to replace or restore motor functions. Therefore, BMIs for movement restoration generally decode the neural activity from the motor-related brain regions. In this study, however, we designed a BMI system that uses sensory-related neural signals for BMI combined with electrical stimulation for reward. Four-channel electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals were recorded from the whisker-related somatosensory cortex of rats and converted to extract the BMI signals to control the one-dimensional movement of a dot on the screen. At the same time, we used operant conditioning with electrical stimulation on medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which provides a virtual reward to motivate the rat to move the dot towards the desired center region. The BMI task training was performed for 7 days with ECoG recording and MFB stimulation. Animals successfully learned to move the dot location to the desired position using S1BF neural activity. This study successfully demonstrated that it is feasible to utilize the neural signals from the whisker somatosensory cortex for BMI system. In addition, the MFB electrical stimulation is effective for rats to learn the behavioral task for BMI.
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27
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Chen Y, Douglas H, Medina BJ, Olarinre M, Siegle JH, Kass RE. Population burst propagation across interacting areas of the brain. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1578-1592. [PMID: 36321709 PMCID: PMC9744659 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00066.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
For many perceptual and behavioral tasks, a prominent feature of neural spike trains involves high firing rates across relatively short intervals of time. We call these events "population bursts." Because during a population burst information is, presumably, transmitted from one part of the brain to another, burst timing should reveal activity related to the flow of information across neural circuits. We developed a statistical method (based on a point process model) of determining, accurately, the time of the maximum (peak) population firing rate on a trial-by-trial basis and used it to characterize burst propagation across areas. We then examined the tendency of peak firing rates in distinct brain areas to shift earlier or later in time, together, across repeated trials, and found this trial-to-trial coupling of peak times to be a sensitive indicator of interaction across populations. In the data we examined, from the Allen Brain Observatory, we found many very strong correlations (95% confidence intervals above 0.75) in cases where standard methods were unable to demonstrate cross-area correlation. The statistical model introduced cross-area covariation only through population-level trial-dependent time shifts and gain constants (values of which were learned from the data), yet it provided very good fits to data histograms, including histograms of spike count correlations within and across visual areas. Our results demonstrate the utility of carefully assessing timing and propagation, across brain regions, of transient bursts in neural population activity, based on multiple spike train recordings.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We developed a novel statistical method for identifying coordinated propagation of activity across populations of spiking neurons, with high temporal accuracy. Using simultaneous recordings from three visual areas we document precise timing relationships on a trial-by-trial basis, and we show how previously existing techniques can fail to discover coordinated activity in cases where the new approach finds very strong cross-area correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- 1Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,2Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Hannah Douglas
- 3Department of Statistics & Data Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Bryan J. Medina
- 5Department of Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
| | - Motolani Olarinre
- 1Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,3Department of Statistics & Data Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Robert E. Kass
- 1Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,2Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,3Department of Statistics & Data Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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28
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Yeganeh F, Knauer B, Guimarães Backhaus R, Yang JW, Stroh A, Luhmann HJ, Stüttgen MC. Effects of optogenetic inhibition of a small fraction of parvalbumin-positive interneurons on the representation of sensory stimuli in mouse barrel cortex. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19419. [PMID: 36371511 PMCID: PMC9653449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24156-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory interneurons play central roles in the modulation of spontaneous network activity and in processing of neuronal information. In sensory neocortical areas, parvalbumin-positive (PV+) GABAergic interneurons control the representation and processing of peripheral sensory inputs. We studied the functional role of PV+ interneurons in the barrel cortex of anesthetized adult PVCre mice by combining extracellular multi-electrode recordings with optogenetic silencing of a small fraction of PV+ interneurons. In all cortical layers, optogenetic inhibition caused an increase in spontaneous network activity from theta to gamma frequencies. The spatio-temporal representation of sensory inputs was studied by stimulating one or two whiskers at different intervals and analyzing the resulting local field potential (LFP) and single unit (SU) response. Silencing PV+ interneurons caused an increase in LFP response to sensory stimulation and a decrease in temporal discrimination of consecutive whisker deflections. The combined effect of whisker deflection and optogenetic inhibition was highly similar to the linear sum of the individual effects of these two manipulations. SU recordings revealed that optogenetic silencing reduced stimulus detectability by increasing stimulus-evoked firing rate by a constant offset, suggesting that PV+ interneurons improve signal-to-noise ratio by reducing ongoing spiking activity, thereby sharpening the spatio-temporal representation of sensory stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Yeganeh
- grid.410607.4Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany ,grid.410607.4Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Beate Knauer
- grid.410607.4Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Jenq-Wei Yang
- grid.410607.4Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Albrecht Stroh
- grid.410607.4Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany ,grid.509458.50000 0004 8087 0005Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heiko J. Luhmann
- grid.410607.4Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Maik C. Stüttgen
- grid.410607.4Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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29
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Mazor M, Brown S, Ciaunica A, Demertzi A, Fahrenfort J, Faivre N, Francken JC, Lamy D, Lenggenhager B, Moutoussis M, Nizzi MC, Salomon R, Soto D, Stein T, Lubianiker N. The Scientific Study of Consciousness Cannot and Should Not Be Morally Neutral. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 18:535-543. [PMID: 36170496 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221110222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A target question for the scientific study of consciousness is how dimensions of consciousness, such as the ability to feel pain and pleasure or reflect on one's own experience, vary in different states and animal species. Considering the tight link between consciousness and moral status, answers to these questions have implications for law and ethics. Here we point out that given this link, the scientific community studying consciousness may face implicit pressure to carry out certain research programs or interpret results in ways that justify current norms rather than challenge them. We show that because consciousness largely determines moral status, the use of nonhuman animals in the scientific study of consciousness introduces a direct conflict between scientific relevance and ethics-the more scientifically valuable an animal model is for studying consciousness, the more difficult it becomes to ethically justify compromises to its well-being for consciousness research. Finally, in light of these considerations, we call for a discussion of the immediate ethical corollaries of the body of knowledge that has accumulated and for a more explicit consideration of the role of ideology and ethics in the scientific study of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matan Mazor
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London
| | - Simon Brown
- Department of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Anna Ciaunica
- Centre for Philosophy of Science, University of Lisbon
| | - Athena Demertzi
- Physiology of Cognition, GIGA Consciousness Research Unit, Université de Liège.,Fund for Scientific Research, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Johannes Fahrenfort
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam.,Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit
| | - Nathan Faivre
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.,University Grenoble Alpes, University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC
| | - Jolien C Francken
- Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies, Radboud University
| | - Dominique Lamy
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University
| | | | - Michael Moutoussis
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London.,Max Planck-University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London
| | - Marie-Christine Nizzi
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles.,Cognitive Science Program, Dartmouth College.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University
| | - Roy Salomon
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Centre, Bar-Ilan University
| | - David Soto
- Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Timo Stein
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam
| | - Nitzan Lubianiker
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University.,Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel
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30
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Buetfering C, Zhang Z, Pitsiani M, Smallridge J, Boven E, McElligott S, Häusser M. Behaviorally relevant decision coding in primary somatosensory cortex neurons. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1225-1236. [PMID: 36042310 PMCID: PMC7613627 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01151-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Primary sensory cortex is thought to process incoming sensory information, while decision variables important for driving behavior are assumed to arise downstream in the processing hierarchy. Here, we used population two-photon calcium imaging and targeted two-photon optogenetic stimulation of neurons in layer 2/3 of mouse primary somatosensory cortex (S1) during a texture discrimination task to test for the presence of decision signals and probe their behavioral relevance. Small but distinct populations of neurons carried information about the stimulus irrespective of the behavioral outcome (stimulus neurons), or about the choice irrespective of the presented stimulus (decision neurons). Decision neurons show categorical coding that develops during learning, and lack a conclusive decision signal in Miss trials. All-optical photostimulation of decision neurons during behavior improves behavioral performance, establishing a causal role in driving behavior. The fact that stimulus and decision neurons are intermingled challenges the idea of S1 as a purely sensory area, and causal perturbation suggests a direct involvement of S1 decision neurons in the decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Buetfering
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Zihui Zhang
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Margarita Pitsiani
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - John Smallridge
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
- Neurophenomenology of Consciousness Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ellen Boven
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sacha McElligott
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Häusser
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.
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31
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Hoshino O, Zheng M, Fukuoka Y. Effect of cortical extracellular GABA on motor response. J Comput Neurosci 2022; 50:375-393. [PMID: 35695984 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-022-00821-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
To elucidate how the flattening of sensory tuning due to a deficit in tonic inhibition slows motor responses, we simulated a neural network model in which a sensory cortical network ([Formula: see text]) and a motor cortical network ([Formula: see text]) are reciprocally connected, and the [Formula: see text] projects to spinal motoneurons (Mns). The [Formula: see text] was presented with a feature stimulus and the reaction time of Mns was measured. The flattening of sensory tuning in [Formula: see text] caused by decreasing the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in extracellular space resulted in a decrease in the stimulus-sensitive [Formula: see text] pyramidal cell activity while increasing the stimulus-insensitive [Formula: see text] pyramidal cell activity, thereby prolonging the reaction time of Mns to the applied feature stimulus. We suggest that a reduction in extracellular GABA concentration in sensory cortex may interfere with selective activation in motor cortex, leading to slowing the activation of spinal motoneurons and therefore to slowing motor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osamu Hoshino
- Independent Researcher, 505-9 Namiyanagi, Hanno, Saitama, 357-0021, Japan.
| | - Meihong Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Yasuhiro Fukuoka
- Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki, 316-8511, Japan
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32
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Kitazono J, Aoki Y, Oizumi M. Bidirectionally connected cores in a mouse connectome: towards extracting the brain subnetworks essential for consciousness. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:1383-1402. [PMID: 35860874 PMCID: PMC9930638 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Where in the brain consciousness resides remains unclear. It has been suggested that the subnetworks supporting consciousness should be bidirectionally (recurrently) connected because both feed-forward and feedback processing are necessary for conscious experience. Accordingly, evaluating which subnetworks are bidirectionally connected and the strength of these connections would likely aid the identification of regions essential to consciousness. Here, we propose a method for hierarchically decomposing a network into cores with different strengths of bidirectional connection, as a means of revealing the structure of the complex brain network. We applied the method to a whole-brain mouse connectome. We found that cores with strong bidirectional connections consisted of regions presumably essential to consciousness (e.g. the isocortical and thalamic regions, and claustrum) and did not include regions presumably irrelevant to consciousness (e.g. cerebellum). Contrarily, we could not find such correspondence between cores and consciousness when we applied other simple methods that ignored bidirectionality. These findings suggest that our method provides a novel insight into the relation between bidirectional brain network structures and consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Kitazono
- Corresponding authors: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ,
| | - Yuma Aoki
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Masafumi Oizumi
- Corresponding authors: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ,
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33
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Blum Moyse L, Berry H. Modelling the modulation of cortical Up-Down state switching by astrocytes. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010296. [PMID: 35862433 PMCID: PMC9345492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Up-Down synchronization in neuronal networks refers to spontaneous switches between periods of high collective firing activity (Up state) and periods of silence (Down state). Recent experimental reports have shown that astrocytes can control the emergence of such Up-Down regimes in neural networks, although the molecular or cellular mechanisms that are involved are still uncertain. Here we propose neural network models made of three populations of cells: excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons and astrocytes, interconnected by synaptic and gliotransmission events, to explore how astrocytes can control this phenomenon. The presence of astrocytes in the models is indeed observed to promote the emergence of Up-Down regimes with realistic characteristics. Our models show that the difference of signalling timescales between astrocytes and neurons (seconds versus milliseconds) can induce a regime where the frequency of gliotransmission events released by the astrocytes does not synchronize with the Up and Down phases of the neurons, but remains essentially stable. However, these gliotransmission events are found to change the localization of the bifurcations in the parameter space so that with the addition of astrocytes, the network enters a bistability region of the dynamics that corresponds to Up-Down synchronization. Taken together, our work provides a theoretical framework to test scenarios and hypotheses on the modulation of Up-Down dynamics by gliotransmission from astrocytes. Neural networks in many brain regions can display synchronized activities. During the so-called “Up-Down” synchronization regimes for instance, the whole local population of neurons switches in a spontaneous and synchronized fashion between phases of high activity (Up states) and phases of low activity (Down states). The mechanisms responsible for this behaviour are still not well understood, but recent experimental reports have suggested that another type of brain cells, the astrocytes, at least partly control these oscillations. Astrocytes are increasingly believed to play a role in the propagation of signals between neurons, via their connections to neuronal synapses, but how this mechanism could control Up-Down regimes is not understood. To address this issue we present here simple mathematical models of neuronal networks that incorporate astrocytes in addition to neurons according to various levels of description. Using bifurcation analysis and numerical simulations we explore how astrocytes control Up-Down synchronization of the neuronal networks. In particular, astrocytes in the model are found to change the localization of the bifurcation points in the parameter space, so that the neurons enter the region of Up-Down regime when astrocytes are present. We also give some theoretical predictions that can be tested experimentally to test the validity of our models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Blum Moyse
- Inria, Villeurbanne, France
- LIRIS UMR5205, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hugues Berry
- Inria, Villeurbanne, France
- LIRIS UMR5205, University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- * E-mail:
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34
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Xu S, Deng Y, Luo J, Liu Y, He E, Yang Y, Zhang K, Sha L, Dai Y, Ming T, Song Y, Jing L, Zhuang C, Xu Q, Cai X. A Neural Sensor with a Nanocomposite Interface for the Study of Spike Characteristics of Hippocampal Neurons under Learning Training. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12070546. [PMID: 35884349 PMCID: PMC9312960 DOI: 10.3390/bios12070546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Both the cellular- and population-level properties of involved neurons are essential for unveiling the learning and memory functions of the brain. To give equal attention to these two aspects, neural sensors based on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been in the limelight due to their noninvasive detection and regulation capabilities. Here, we fabricated a neural sensor using carboxylated graphene/3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrenesulfonate (cGO/PEDOT:PSS), which is effective in sensing and monitoring neuronal electrophysiological activity in vitro for a long time. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-modified microelectrodes exhibited a lower electrochemical impedance (7.26 ± 0.29 kΩ), higher charge storage capacity (7.53 ± 0.34 mC/cm2), and improved charge injection (3.11 ± 0.25 mC/cm2). In addition, their performance was maintained after 2 to 4 weeks of long-term cell culture and 50,000 stimulation pulses. During neural network training, the sensors were able to induce learning function in hippocampal neurons through precise electrical stimulation and simultaneously detect changes in neural activity at multiple levels. At the cellular level, not only were three kinds of transient responses to electrical stimulation sensed, but electrical stimulation was also found to affect inhibitory neurons more than excitatory neurons. As for the population level, changes in connectivity and firing synchrony were identified. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-based neural sensor offers an excellent tool in brain function development and neurological disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yu Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; (Y.D.); (L.S.); (Q.X.)
| | - Jinping Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yaoyao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Enhui He
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Longze Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; (Y.D.); (L.S.); (Q.X.)
| | - Yuchun Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tao Ming
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yilin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Luyi Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chengyu Zhuang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China;
| | - Qi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; (Y.D.); (L.S.); (Q.X.)
| | - Xinxia Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (S.X.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (E.H.); (Y.Y.); (K.Z.); (Y.D.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (L.J.)
- School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence:
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Oude Lohuis MN, Pie JL, Marchesi P, Montijn JS, de Kock CPJ, Pennartz CMA, Olcese U. Multisensory task demands temporally extend the causal requirement for visual cortex in perception. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2864. [PMID: 35606448 PMCID: PMC9126973 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30600-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary sensory areas constitute crucial nodes during perceptual decision making. However, it remains unclear to what extent they mainly constitute a feedforward processing step, or rather are continuously involved in a recurrent network together with higher-order areas. We found that the temporal window in which primary visual cortex is required for the detection of identical visual stimuli was extended when task demands were increased via an additional sensory modality that had to be monitored. Late-onset optogenetic inactivation preserved bottom-up, early-onset responses which faithfully encoded stimulus features, and was effective in impairing detection only if it preceded a late, report-related phase of the cortical response. Increasing task demands were marked by longer reaction times and the effect of late optogenetic inactivation scaled with reaction time. Thus, independently of visual stimulus complexity, multisensory task demands determine the temporal requirement for ongoing sensory-related activity in V1, which overlaps with report-related activity. How primary sensory cortices contribute to decision making remains poorly understood. Here the authors report that increasing task demands extend the temporal window in which the primary visual cortex is required for detecting identical stimuli.
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Learning-related congruent and incongruent changes of excitation and inhibition in distinct cortical areas. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001667. [PMID: 35639787 PMCID: PMC9187120 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory and inhibitory neurons in diverse cortical regions are likely to contribute differentially to the transformation of sensory information into goal-directed motor plans. Here, we investigate the relative changes across mouse sensorimotor cortex in the activity of putative excitatory and inhibitory neurons—categorized as regular spiking (RS) or fast spiking (FS) according to their action potential (AP) waveform—comparing before and after learning of a whisker detection task with delayed licking as perceptual report. Surprisingly, we found that the whisker-evoked activity of RS versus FS neurons changed in opposite directions after learning in primary and secondary whisker motor cortices, while it changed similarly in primary and secondary orofacial motor cortices. Our results suggest that changes in the balance of excitation and inhibition in local circuits concurrent with changes in the long-range synaptic inputs in distinct cortical regions might contribute to performance of delayed sensory-to-motor transformation. A study of mouse sensorimotor cortex during a whisker detection task shows that learning of a goal-directed sensorimotor transformation is accompanied by differential changes in excitation and inhibition in distinct neocortical regions, helping to link sensory cortex and motor cortex for correct task performance.
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Day-Cooney J, Cone JJ, Maunsell JHR. Perceptual Weighting of V1 Spikes Revealed by Optogenetic White Noise Stimulation. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3122-3132. [PMID: 35232760 PMCID: PMC8994541 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1736-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
During visually guided behaviors, mere hundreds of milliseconds can elapse between a sensory input and its associated behavioral response. How spikes occurring at different times are integrated to drive perception and action remains poorly understood. We delivered random trains of optogenetic stimulation (white noise) to excite inhibitory interneurons in V1 of mice of both sexes while they performed a visual detection task. We then performed a reverse correlation analysis on the optogenetic stimuli to generate a neuronal-behavioral kernel, an unbiased, temporally precise estimate of how suppression of V1 spiking at different moments around the onset of a visual stimulus affects detection of that stimulus. Electrophysiological recordings enabled us to capture the effects of optogenetic stimuli on V1 responsivity and revealed that the earliest stimulus-evoked spikes are preferentially weighted for guiding behavior. These data demonstrate that white noise optogenetic stimulation is a powerful tool for understanding how patterns of spiking in neuronal populations are decoded in generating perception and action.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT During visually guided actions, continuous chains of neurons connect our retinas to our motoneurons. To unravel circuit contributions to behavior, it is crucial to establish the relative functional position(s) that different neural structures occupy in processing and relaying the signals that support rapid, precise responses. To address this question, we randomly inhibited activity in mouse V1 throughout the stimulus-response cycle while the animals did many repetitions of a visual task. The period that led to impaired performance corresponded to the earliest stimulus-driven response in V1, with no effect of inhibition immediately before or during late stages of the stimulus-driven response. This approach offers experimenters a powerful method for uncovering the temporal weighting of spikes from stimulus to response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Day-Cooney
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Jackson J Cone
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - John H R Maunsell
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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Lassagne H, Goueytes D, Shulz DE, Estebanez L, Ego-Stengel V. Continuity within the somatosensory cortical map facilitates learning. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110617. [PMID: 35385729 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The topographic organization is a prominent feature of sensory cortices, but its functional role remains controversial. Particularly, it is not well determined how integration of activity within a cortical area depends on its topography during sensory-guided behavior. Here, we train mice expressing channelrhodopsin in excitatory neurons to track a photostimulation bar that rotated smoothly over the topographic whisker representation of the primary somatosensory cortex. Mice learn to discriminate angular positions of the light bar to obtain a reward. They fail not only when the spatiotemporal continuity of the photostimulation is disrupted in this area but also when cortical areas displaying map discontinuities, such as the trunk and legs, or areas without topographic map, such as the posterior parietal cortex, are photostimulated. In contrast, when cortical topographic continuity enables to predict future sensory activation, mice demonstrate anticipation of reward availability. These findings could be helpful for optimizing feedback while designing cortical neuroprostheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henri Lassagne
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Dorian Goueytes
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Daniel E Shulz
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Luc Estebanez
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Valerie Ego-Stengel
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France.
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39
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Lakunina AA, Menashe N, Jaramillo S. Contributions of Distinct Auditory Cortical Inhibitory Neuron Types to the Detection of Sounds in Background Noise. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0264-21.2021. [PMID: 35168950 PMCID: PMC8906447 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0264-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to separate background noise from relevant acoustic signals is essential for appropriate sound-driven behavior in natural environments. Examples of this separation are apparent in the auditory system, where neural responses to behaviorally relevant stimuli become increasingly noise invariant along the ascending auditory pathway. However, the mechanisms that underlie this reduction in responses to background noise are not well understood. To address this gap in knowledge, we first evaluated the effects of auditory cortical inactivation on mice of both sexes trained to perform a simple auditory signal-in-noise detection task and found that outputs from the auditory cortex are important for the detection of auditory stimuli in noisy environments. Next, we evaluated the contributions of the two most common cortical inhibitory cell types, parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) and somatostatin-expressing (SOM+) interneurons, to the perception of masked auditory stimuli. We found that inactivation of either PV+ or SOM+ cells resulted in a reduction in the ability of mice to determine the presence of auditory stimuli masked by noise. These results indicate that a disruption of auditory cortical network dynamics by either of these two types of inhibitory cells is sufficient to impair the ability to separate acoustic signals from noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A Lakunina
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Nadav Menashe
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Santiago Jaramillo
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
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40
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Larkum M. Are dendrites conceptually useful? Neuroscience 2022; 489:4-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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41
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DiNuzzo M, Mangia S, Moraschi M, Mascali D, Hagberg GE, Giove F. Perception is associated with the brain's metabolic response to sensory stimulation. eLife 2022; 11:71016. [PMID: 35225790 PMCID: PMC9038191 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of incoming sensory stimulation triggers an increase of cerebral perfusion and blood oxygenation (neurovascular response) as well as an alteration of the metabolic neurochemical profile (neurometabolic response). Here we show in human primary visual cortex (V1) that perceived and unperceived isoluminant chromatic flickering stimuli designed to have similar neurovascular responses as measured by blood oxygenation level dependent functional MRI (BOLD-fMRI) have markedly different neurometabolic responses as measured by functional MRS. In particular, a significant regional buildup of lactate, an index of aerobic glycolysis, and glutamate, an index of malate-aspartate shuttle, occurred in V1 only when the flickering was perceived, without any relation with behavioral or physiological variables. Whereas the BOLD-fMRI signal in V1, a proxy for input to V1, was insensitive to flickering perception by design, the BOLD-fMRI signal in secondary visual areas was larger during perceived than unperceived flickering, indicating increased output from V1. These results demonstrate that the upregulation of energy metabolism induced by visual stimulation depends on the type of information processing taking place in V1, and that 1H-fMRS provides unique information about local input/output balance that is not measured by BOLD fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro DiNuzzo
- Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Mangia
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Marta Moraschi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Mascali
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Gabriele D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy
| | - Gisela E Hagberg
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Federico Giove
- Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy
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Chen XJ, Liu YH, Xu NL, Sun YG. Itch perception is reflected by neuronal ignition in the primary somatosensory cortex. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 9:nwab218. [PMID: 35769233 PMCID: PMC9232292 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple cortical areas including the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) are activated during itch signal processing, yet cortical representation of itch perception remains unknown. Using novel miniature two-photon microscopic imaging in free-moving mice, we investigated the coding of itch perception in S1. We found that pharmacological inactivation of S1 abolished itch-induced scratching behavior, and the itch-induced scratching behavior could be well predicted by the activity of a fraction of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, suggesting that a subpopulation of S1 pyramidal neurons encoded itch perception, as indicated by immediate subsequent scratching behaviors. With a newly established optogenetics-based paradigm that allows precisely controlled pruritic stimulation, we found that a small fraction of S1 neurons exhibited an ignition-like pattern at the detection threshold of itch perception. Our study revealed the neural mechanism underlying itch perceptual coding in S1, thus paving the way for the study of cortical representation of itch perception at the single-neuron level in freely moving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jun Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan-He Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ning-Long Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China
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Three Water Restriction Schedules Used in Rodent Behavioral Tasks Transiently Impair Growth and Differentially Evoke a Stress Hormone Response without Causing Dehydration. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0424-21.2021. [PMID: 34815297 PMCID: PMC8672445 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0424-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Water restriction is commonly used to motivate rodents to perform behavioral tasks; however, its effects on hydration and stress hormone levels are unknown. Here, we report daily body weight and bi-weekly packed red blood cell volume and corticosterone (CORT) in adult male rats across 80 days for three commonly used water restriction schedules. We also assessed renal adaptation to water restriction using postmortem histologic evaluation of renal medulla. A control group received ad libitum water. After one week of water restriction, rats on all restriction schedules resumed similar levels of growth relative to the control group. Normal hydration was observed, and water restriction did not drive renal adaptation. An intermittent restriction schedule was associated with an increase in CORT relative to the control group. However, intermittent restriction evokes a stress response which could affect behavioral and neurobiological results. Our results also suggest that stable motivation in behavioral tasks may only be achieved after one week of restriction.
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Yao LL, Yuan S, Wu ZN, Luo JY, Tang XR, Tang CZ, Cui S, Xu NG. Contralateral S1 function is involved in electroacupuncture treatment-mediated recovery after focal unilateral M1 infarction. Neural Regen Res 2021; 17:1310-1317. [PMID: 34782576 PMCID: PMC8643050 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.327355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Acupuncture at acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Dazhui (GV14) has been shown to promote functional recovery after stroke. However, the contribution of the contralateral primary sensory cortex (S1) to recovery remains unclear. In this study, unilateral local ischemic infarction of the primary motor cortex (M1) was induced by photothrombosis in a mouse model. Electroacupuncture (EA) was subsequently performed at acupoints GV20 and GV14 and neuronal activity and functional connectivity of contralateral S1 and M1 were detected using in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recording techniques. Our results showed that blood perfusion and neuronal interaction between contralateral M1 and S1 is impaired after unilateral M1 infarction. Intrinsic neuronal excitability and activity were also disturbed, which was rescued by EA. Furthermore, the effectiveness of EA treatment was inhibited after virus-mediated neuronal ablation of the contralateral S1. We conclude that neuronal activity of the contralateral S1 is important for EA-mediated recovery after focal M1 infarction. Our study provides insight into how the S1–M1 circuit might be involved in the mechanism of EA treatment of unilateral cerebral infarction. The animal experiments were approved by the Committee for Care and Use of Research Animals of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (approval No. 20200407009) April 7, 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Lu Yao
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Si Yuan
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Zhen-Nan Wu
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jian-Yu Luo
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Xiao-Rong Tang
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chun-Zhi Tang
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Shuai Cui
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
| | - Neng-Gui Xu
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acupuncture Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
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Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Hugo Cornejo
- Neurotechnology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Netanel Ofer
- Neurotechnology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Rafael Yuste
- Neurotechnology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Visual exposure enhances stimulus encoding and persistence in primary cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2105276118. [PMID: 34663727 PMCID: PMC8639370 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105276118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Experience shapes sensory responses, already at the earliest stages of cortical processing. We provide evidence that, in the primary visual cortex of anesthetized cats, brief repetitive exposure to a set of simple, abstract stimuli expands the range and decreases the variability of neuronal responses that persist after stimulus offset. These refinements increase the stimulus-specific clustering of neuronal population responses and result in a more efficient encoding of both stimulus identity and stimulus structure, thus potentially benefiting simple readouts in higher cortical areas. Similar results can be achieved via local plasticity mechanisms in recurrent networks, through self-organized refinements of internal dynamics that do not require changes in firing amplitudes. The brain adapts to the sensory environment. For example, simple sensory exposure can modify the response properties of early sensory neurons. How these changes affect the overall encoding and maintenance of stimulus information across neuronal populations remains unclear. We perform parallel recordings in the primary visual cortex of anesthetized cats and find that brief, repetitive exposure to structured visual stimuli enhances stimulus encoding by decreasing the selectivity and increasing the range of the neuronal responses that persist after stimulus presentation. Low-dimensional projection methods and simple classifiers demonstrate that visual exposure increases the segregation of persistent neuronal population responses into stimulus-specific clusters. These observed refinements preserve the representational details required for stimulus reconstruction and are detectable in postexposure spontaneous activity. Assuming response facilitation and recurrent network interactions as the core mechanisms underlying stimulus persistence, we show that the exposure-driven segregation of stimulus responses can arise through strictly local plasticity mechanisms, also in the absence of firing rate changes. Our findings provide evidence for the existence of an automatic, unguided optimization process that enhances the encoding power of neuronal populations in early visual cortex, thus potentially benefiting simple readouts at higher stages of visual processing.
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Khateb M, Schiller J, Schiller Y. State-Dependent Synchrony and Functional Connectivity in the Primary and Secondary Whisker Somatosensory Cortices. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:713397. [PMID: 34616281 PMCID: PMC8489558 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.713397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchronized activity plays an important role in sensory coding and memory and is a hallmark of functional network connectivity. However, the effect of sensory activation on synchronization and cortical functional connectivity is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of whisker activation on synchronization and functional connectivity of the primary (wS1) and secondary (wS2) whisker somatosensory cortices at the single-cell level. The results showed that during the spontaneous pre-stimulus state, neurons tended to be functionally connected with nearby neurons which shared similar tuning characteristics. Whisker activation using either ramp-and-hold stimulation or artificial whisking against sandpaper has significantly reduced the average overall pairwise synchronization and functional connectivity within the wS1 barrel and wS2 cortices. Whisker stimulation disconnected approximately a third of neuronal pairs that were functionally connected during the unstimulated state. Nearby neurons with congruent tuning properties were more likely to remain functionally connected during whisker activation. The findings of this study indicated that cortical somatosensory networks are organized in non-random small world networks composed of neurons sharing relatively similar tuning properties. Sensory whisker activation intensifies these properties and further subdivides the cortical network into smaller more functionally uniform subnetworks, which possibly serve to increase the computational capacity of the network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Khateb
- The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jackie Schiller
- The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yitzhak Schiller
- The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
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Marrero K, Aruljothi K, Zareian B, Gao C, Zhang Z, Zagha E. Global, Low-Amplitude Cortical State Predicts Response Outcomes in a Selective Detection Task in Mice. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2037-2053. [PMID: 34564725 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous neuronal activity strongly impacts stimulus encoding and behavioral responses. We sought to determine the effects of neocortical prestimulus activity on stimulus detection. We trained mice in a selective whisker detection task, in which they learned to respond (lick) to target stimuli in one whisker field and ignore distractor stimuli in the contralateral whisker field. During expert task performance, we used widefield Ca2+ imaging to assess prestimulus and post-stimulus neuronal activity broadly across frontal and parietal cortices. We found that lower prestimulus activity correlated with enhanced stimulus detection: lower prestimulus activity predicted response versus no response outcomes and faster reaction times. The activity predictive of trial outcome was distributed through dorsal neocortex, rather than being restricted to whisker or licking regions. Using principal component analysis, we demonstrate that response trials are associated with a distinct and less variable prestimulus neuronal subspace. For single units, prestimulus choice probability was weak yet distributed broadly, with lower than chance choice probability correlating with stronger sensory and motor encoding. These findings support low amplitude and low variability as an optimal prestimulus cortical state for stimulus detection that presents globally and predicts response outcomes for both target and distractor stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Marrero
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Krithiga Aruljothi
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Behzad Zareian
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Chengchun Gao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Zhaoran Zhang
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Lee CCY, Kheradpezhouh E, Diamond ME, Arabzadeh E. State-Dependent Changes in Perception and Coding in the Mouse Somatosensory Cortex. Cell Rep 2021; 32:108197. [PMID: 32997984 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
An animal's behavioral state is reflected in the dynamics of cortical population activity and its capacity to process sensory information. To better understand the relationship between behavioral states and information processing, mice are trained to detect varying amplitudes of whisker-deflection under two-photon calcium imaging. Layer 2/3 neurons in the vibrissal primary somatosensory cortex are imaged across different behavioral states, defined based on detection performance (low to high-state) and pupil diameter. The neurometric curve in each behavioral state mirrors the corresponding psychometric performance, with calcium signals predictive of the animal's choice. High behavioral states are associated with lower network synchrony, extending over shorter cortical distances. The decrease in correlation across neurons in high state results in enhanced information transmission capacity at the population level. The observed state-dependent changes suggest that the coding regime within the first stage of cortical processing may underlie adaptive routing of relevant information through the sensorimotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad C Y Lee
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Ehsan Kheradpezhouh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Mathew E Diamond
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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50
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Varani S, Vecchia D, Zucca S, Forli A, Fellin T. Stimulus Feature-Specific Control of Layer 2/3 Subthreshold Whisker Responses by Layer 4 in the Mouse Primary Somatosensory Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1419-1436. [PMID: 34448808 PMCID: PMC8971086 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the barrel field of the rodent primary somatosensory cortex (S1bf), excitatory cells in layer 2/3 (L2/3) display sparse firing but reliable subthreshold response during whisker stimulation. Subthreshold responses encode specific features of the sensory stimulus, for example, the direction of whisker deflection. According to the canonical model for the flow of sensory information across cortical layers, activity in L2/3 is driven by layer 4 (L4). However, L2/3 cells receive excitatory inputs from other regions, raising the possibility that L4 partially drives L2/3 during whisker stimulation. To test this hypothesis, we combined patch-clamp recordings from L2/3 pyramidal neurons in S1bf with selective optogenetic inhibition of L4 during passive whisker stimulation in both anesthetized and awake head-restrained mice. We found that L4 optogenetic inhibition did not abolish the subthreshold whisker-evoked response nor it affected spontaneous membrane potential fluctuations of L2/3 neurons. However, L4 optogenetic inhibition decreased L2/3 subthreshold responses to whisker deflections in the preferred direction, and it increased L2/3 responses to stimuli in the nonpreferred direction, leading to a change in the direction tuning. Our results contribute to reveal the circuit mechanisms underlying the processing of sensory information in the rodent S1bf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Varani
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Dania Vecchia
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Zucca
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Angelo Forli
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
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