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Renard A, Harrell ER, Bathellier B. Olfactory modulation of barrel cortex activity during active whisking and passive whisker stimulation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3830. [PMID: 35780224 PMCID: PMC9250522 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31565-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents depend on olfaction and touch to meet many of their fundamental needs. However, the impact of simultaneous olfactory and tactile inputs on sensory representations in the cortex remains elusive. To study these interactions, we recorded large populations of barrel cortex neurons using 2-photon calcium imaging in head-fixed mice during olfactory and tactile stimulation. Here we show that odors bidirectionally alter activity in a small but significant population of barrel cortex neurons through at least two mechanisms, first by enhancing whisking, and second by a central mechanism that persists after whisking is abolished by facial nerve sectioning. Odor responses have little impact on tactile information, and they are sufficient for decoding odor identity, while behavioral parameters like whisking, sniffing, and facial movements are not odor identity-specific. Thus, barrel cortex activity encodes specific olfactory information that is not linked with odor-induced changes in behavior. Rodents use both touch and smell to get around. This work describes how olfactory information is combined with touch perception in the cortex to guide behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Renard
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012, Paris, France.,Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris-Saclay, Campus CEA, 151 Rte de la Rotonde, 91400, Saclay, France.,Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Station 19, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Evan R Harrell
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012, Paris, France.,Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris-Saclay, Campus CEA, 151 Rte de la Rotonde, 91400, Saclay, France.,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), UMR CNRS 5297, Université de Bordeaux, Centre Broca Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 146 rue Leo Saignat, CS 61292 CASE 130, 33076, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Brice Bathellier
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, 63 rue de Charenton, F-75012, Paris, France. .,Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, UMR9197 CNRS/University Paris-Saclay, Campus CEA, 151 Rte de la Rotonde, 91400, Saclay, France.
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Bosman LWJ, Houweling AR, Owens CB, Tanke N, Shevchouk OT, Rahmati N, Teunissen WHT, Ju C, Gong W, Koekkoek SKE, De Zeeuw CI. Anatomical pathways involved in generating and sensing rhythmic whisker movements. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:53. [PMID: 22065951 PMCID: PMC3207327 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The rodent whisker system is widely used as a model system for investigating sensorimotor integration, neural mechanisms of complex cognitive tasks, neural development, and robotics. The whisker pathways to the barrel cortex have received considerable attention. However, many subcortical structures are paramount to the whisker system. They contribute to important processes, like filtering out salient features, integration with other senses, and adaptation of the whisker system to the general behavioral state of the animal. We present here an overview of the brain regions and their connections involved in the whisker system. We do not only describe the anatomy and functional roles of the cerebral cortex, but also those of subcortical structures like the striatum, superior colliculus, cerebellum, pontomedullary reticular formation, zona incerta, and anterior pretectal nucleus as well as those of level setting systems like the cholinergic, histaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic pathways. We conclude by discussing how these brain regions may affect each other and how they together may control the precise timing of whisker movements and coordinate whisker perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurens W. J. Bosman
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Cullen B. Owens
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nouk Tanke
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Negah Rahmati
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chiheng Ju
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wei Gong
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chris I. De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdam, Netherlands
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