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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Esmaeili V, Tamura K, Muscinelli SP, Modirshanechi A, Boscaglia M, Lee AB, Oryshchuk A, Foustoukos G, Liu Y, Crochet S, Gerstner W, Petersen CCH. Rapid suppression and sustained activation of distinct cortical regions for a delayed sensory-triggered motor response. Neuron 2021; 109:2183-2201.e9. [PMID: 34077741 PMCID: PMC8285666 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The neuronal mechanisms generating a delayed motor response initiated by a sensory cue remain elusive. Here, we tracked the precise sequence of cortical activity in mice transforming a brief whisker stimulus into delayed licking using wide-field calcium imaging, multiregion high-density electrophysiology, and time-resolved optogenetic manipulation. Rapid activity evoked by whisker deflection acquired two prominent features for task performance: (1) an enhanced excitation of secondary whisker motor cortex, suggesting its important role connecting whisker sensory processing to lick motor planning; and (2) a transient reduction of activity in orofacial sensorimotor cortex, which contributed to suppressing premature licking. Subsequent widespread cortical activity during the delay period largely correlated with anticipatory movements, but when these were accounted for, a focal sustained activity remained in frontal cortex, which was causally essential for licking in the response period. Our results demonstrate key cortical nodes for motor plan generation and timely execution in delayed goal-directed licking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Esmaeili
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Keita Tamura
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Samuel P Muscinelli
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alireza Modirshanechi
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marta Boscaglia
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ashley B Lee
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anastasiia Oryshchuk
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Georgios Foustoukos
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yanqi Liu
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Crochet
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wulfram Gerstner
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Esmaeili V, Tamura K, Foustoukos G, Oryshchuk A, Crochet S, Petersen CC. Cortical circuits for transforming whisker sensation into goal-directed licking. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 65:38-48. [PMID: 33065332 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Animals can learn to use sensory stimuli to generate motor actions in order to obtain rewards. However, the precise neuronal circuits driving learning and execution of a specific goal-directed sensory-to-motor transformation remain to be elucidated. Here, we review progress in understanding the contribution of cortical neuronal circuits to a task in which head-restrained water-restricted mice learn to lick a reward spout in response to whisker deflection. We first examine 'innate' pathways for whisker sensory processing and licking motor control, and then discuss how these might become linked through reward-based learning, perhaps enabled by cholinergic-gated and dopaminergic-gated plasticity. The aim is to uncover the synaptically connected neuronal pathways that mediate reward-based learning and execution of a well-defined sensory-to-motor transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Esmaeili
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Keita Tamura
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Georgios Foustoukos
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Anastasiia Oryshchuk
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Crochet
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - Carl Ch Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
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