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Ciceri S, Oude Lohuis MN, Rottschäfer V, Pennartz CMA, Avitabile D, van Gaal S, Olcese U. The Neural and Computational Architecture of Feedback Dynamics in Mouse Cortex during Stimulus Report. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0191-24.2024. [PMID: 39260892 PMCID: PMC11444237 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0191-24.2024] [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: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Conscious reportability of visual input is associated with a bimodal neural response in the primary visual cortex (V1): an early-latency response coupled to stimulus features and a late-latency response coupled to stimulus report or detection. This late wave of activity, central to major theories of consciousness, is thought to be driven by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), responsible for "igniting" it. Here we analyzed two electrophysiological studies in mice performing different stimulus detection tasks and characterized neural activity profiles in three key cortical regions: V1, posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and PFC. We then developed a minimal network model, constrained by known connectivity between these regions, reproducing the spatiotemporal propagation of visual- and report-related activity. Remarkably, while PFC was indeed necessary to generate report-related activity in V1, this occurred only through the mediation of PPC. PPC, and not PFC, had the final veto in enabling the report-related late wave of V1 activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Ciceri
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584CC, Netherlands
| | - Matthijs N Oude Lohuis
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
| | - Vivi Rottschäfer
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden 2333CA, Netherlands
- Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XG, Netherlands
| | - Cyriel M A Pennartz
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
| | - Daniele Avitabile
- Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation, Mathematics Department, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081HV, Netherlands
- Mathneuro Team, Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur, Sophia Antipolis 06902, France
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Systems and Network Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081HV, Netherlands
| | - Simon van Gaal
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018WT, Netherlands
| | - Umberto Olcese
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, Netherlands
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2
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Horrocks EAB, Rodrigues FR, Saleem AB. Flexible neural population dynamics govern the speed and stability of sensory encoding in mouse visual cortex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6415. [PMID: 39080254 PMCID: PMC11289260 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50563-y] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Time courses of neural responses underlie real-time sensory processing and perception. How these temporal dynamics change may be fundamental to how sensory systems adapt to different perceptual demands. By simultaneously recording from hundreds of neurons in mouse primary visual cortex, we examined neural population responses to visual stimuli at sub-second timescales, during different behavioural states. We discovered that during active behavioural states characterised by locomotion, single-neurons shift from transient to sustained response modes, facilitating rapid emergence of visual stimulus tuning. Differences in single-neuron response dynamics were associated with changes in temporal dynamics of neural correlations, including faster stabilisation of stimulus-evoked changes in the structure of correlations during locomotion. Using Factor Analysis, we examined temporal dynamics of latent population responses and discovered that trajectories of population activity make more direct transitions between baseline and stimulus-encoding neural states during locomotion. This could be partly explained by dampening of oscillatory dynamics present during stationary behavioural states. Functionally, changes in temporal response dynamics collectively enabled faster, more stable and more efficient encoding of new visual information during locomotion. These findings reveal a principle of how sensory systems adapt to perceptual demands, where flexible neural population dynamics govern the speed and stability of sensory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A B Horrocks
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1V 0AP, UK.
| | - Fabio R Rodrigues
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1V 0AP, UK
| | - Aman B Saleem
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1V 0AP, UK.
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3
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Del Rosario J, Coletta S, Kim SH, Mobille Z, Peelman K, Williams B, Otsuki AJ, Del Castillo Valerio A, Worden K, Blanpain LT, Lovell L, Choi H, Haider B. Lateral inhibition in V1 controls neural & perceptual contrast sensitivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.10.566605. [PMID: 38014014 PMCID: PMC10680635 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.10.566605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Lateral inhibition is a central principle for sensory system function. It is thought to operate by the activation of inhibitory neurons that restrict the spatial spread of sensory excitation. Much work on the role of inhibition in sensory systems has focused on visual cortex; however, the neurons, computations, and mechanisms underlying cortical lateral inhibition remain debated, and its importance for visual perception remains unknown. Here, we tested how lateral inhibition from PV or SST neurons in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) modulates neural and perceptual sensitivity to stimulus contrast. Lateral inhibition from PV neurons reduced neural and perceptual sensitivity to visual contrast in a uniform subtractive manner, whereas lateral inhibition from SST neurons more effectively changed the slope (or gain) of neural and perceptual contrast sensitivity. A neural circuit model identified spatially extensive lateral projections from SST neurons as the key factor, and we confirmed this with anatomy and direct subthreshold measurements of a larger spatial footprint for SST versus PV lateral inhibition. Together, these results define cell-type specific computational roles for lateral inhibition in V1, and establish their unique consequences on sensitivity to contrast, a fundamental aspect of the visual world.
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4
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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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5
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Weiss DA, Borsa AM, Pala A, Sederberg AJ, Stanley GB. A machine learning approach for real-time cortical state estimation. J Neural Eng 2024; 21:016016. [PMID: 38232377 PMCID: PMC10868597 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad1f7b] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Objective.Cortical function is under constant modulation by internally-driven, latent variables that regulate excitability, collectively known as 'cortical state'. Despite a vast literature in this area, the estimation of cortical state remains relatively ad hoc, and not amenable to real-time implementation. Here, we implement robust, data-driven, and fast algorithms that address several technical challenges for online cortical state estimation.Approach. We use unsupervised Gaussian mixture models to identify discrete, emergent clusters in spontaneous local field potential signals in cortex. We then extend our approach to a temporally-informed hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) with Gaussian observations to better model and infer cortical state transitions. Finally, we implement our HSMM cortical state inference algorithms in a real-time system, evaluating their performance in emulation experiments.Main results. Unsupervised clustering approaches reveal emergent state-like structure in spontaneous electrophysiological data that recapitulate arousal-related cortical states as indexed by behavioral indicators. HSMMs enable cortical state inferences in a real-time context by modeling the temporal dynamics of cortical state switching. Using HSMMs provides robustness to state estimates arising from noisy, sequential electrophysiological data.Significance. To our knowledge, this work represents the first implementation of a real-time software tool for continuously decoding cortical states with high temporal resolution (40 ms). The software tools that we provide can facilitate our understanding of how cortical states dynamically modulate cortical function on a moment-by-moment basis and provide a basis for state-aware brain machine interfaces across health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Weiss
- Program in Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Adriano Mf Borsa
- Program in Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Aurélie Pala
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Audrey J Sederberg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
- Medical Discovery Team in Optical Imaging and Brain Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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6
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Hayden DJ, Finnie PSB, Thomazeau A, Li AY, Cooke SF, Bear MF. Electrophysiological Signatures of Visual Recognition Memory across All Layers of Mouse V1. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7307-7321. [PMID: 37714707 PMCID: PMC10621768 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0090-23.2023] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In mouse primary visual cortex (V1), familiar stimuli evoke significantly altered responses when compared with novel stimuli. This stimulus-selective response plasticity (SRP) was described originally as an increase in the magnitude of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) elicited in layer 4 (L4) by familiar phase-reversing grating stimuli. SRP is dependent on NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and has been hypothesized to reflect potentiation of thalamocortical (TC) synapses in L4. However, recent evidence indicates that the synaptic modifications that manifest as SRP do not occur on L4 principal cells. To shed light on where and how SRP is induced and expressed in male and female mice, the present study had three related aims: (1) to confirm that NMDAR are required specifically in glutamatergic principal neurons of V1, (2) to investigate the consequences of deleting NMDAR specifically in L6, and (3) to use translaminar electrophysiological recordings to characterize SRP expression in different layers of V1. We find that knock-out (KO) of NMDAR in L6 principal neurons disrupts SRP. Current-source density (CSD) analysis of the VEP depth profile shows augmentation of short latency current sinks in layers 3, 4, and 6 in response to phase reversals of familiar stimuli. Multiunit recordings demonstrate that increased peak firing occurs in response to phase reversals of familiar stimuli across all layers, but that activity between phase reversals is suppressed. Together, these data reveal important aspects of the underlying phenomenology of SRP and generate new hypotheses for the expression of experience-dependent plasticity in V1.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Repeated exposure to stimuli that portend neither reward nor punishment leads to behavioral habituation, enabling organisms to dedicate attention to novel or otherwise significant features of the environment. The neural basis of this process, which is so often dysregulated in neurologic and psychiatric disorders, remains poorly understood. Learning and memory of stimulus familiarity can be studied in mouse visual cortex by measuring electrophysiological responses to simple phase-reversing grating stimuli. The current study advances knowledge of this process by documenting changes in visual evoked potentials (VEPs), neuronal spiking activity, and oscillations in the local field potentials (LFPs) across all layers of mouse visual cortex. In addition, we identify a key contribution of a specific population of neurons in layer 6 (L6) of visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J Hayden
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - Peter S B Finnie
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - Aurore Thomazeau
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - Alyssa Y Li
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
- Biochemistry Program, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
| | - Samuel F Cooke
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - Mark F Bear
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
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7
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Shin D, Peelman K, Lien AD, Del Rosario J, Haider B. Narrowband gamma oscillations propagate and synchronize throughout the mouse thalamocortical visual system. Neuron 2023; 111:1076-1085.e8. [PMID: 37023711 PMCID: PMC10112544 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Oscillations of neural activity permeate sensory systems. In the visual system, broadband gamma oscillations (30-80 Hz) are thought to act as a communication mechanism underlying perception. However, these oscillations show widely varying frequency and phase, providing constraints for coordinating spike timing across areas. Here, we examined Allen Brain Observatory data and performed causal experiments to show that narrowband gamma (NBG) oscillations (50-70 Hz) propagate and synchronize throughout the awake mouse visual system. Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons fired precisely relative to NBG phase in primary visual cortex (V1) and multiple higher visual areas (HVAs). NBG neurons across areas showed a higher likelihood of functional connectivity and stronger visual responses; remarkably, NBG neurons in LGN, preferring bright (ON) versus dark (OFF), fired at distinct NBG phases aligned across the cortical hierarchy. NBG oscillations may thus serve to coordinate spike timing across brain areas and facilitate communication of distinct visual features during perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghoon Shin
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Bioengineering, UCSF - UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kayla Peelman
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anthony D Lien
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joseph Del Rosario
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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8
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Reitman ME, Tse V, Mi X, Willoughby DD, Peinado A, Aivazidis A, Myagmar BE, Simpson PC, Bayraktar OA, Yu G, Poskanzer KE. Norepinephrine links astrocytic activity to regulation of cortical state. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:579-593. [PMID: 36997759 PMCID: PMC10089924 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01284-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Cortical state, defined by population-level neuronal activity patterns, determines sensory perception. While arousal-associated neuromodulators-including norepinephrine (NE)-reduce cortical synchrony, how the cortex resynchronizes remains unknown. Furthermore, general mechanisms regulating cortical synchrony in the wake state are poorly understood. Using in vivo imaging and electrophysiology in mouse visual cortex, we describe a critical role for cortical astrocytes in circuit resynchronization. We characterize astrocytes' calcium responses to changes in behavioral arousal and NE, and show that astrocytes signal when arousal-driven neuronal activity is reduced and bi-hemispheric cortical synchrony is increased. Using in vivo pharmacology, we uncover a paradoxical, synchronizing response to Adra1a receptor stimulation. We reconcile these results by demonstrating that astrocyte-specific deletion of Adra1a enhances arousal-driven neuronal activity, while impairing arousal-related cortical synchrony. Our findings demonstrate that astrocytic NE signaling acts as a distinct neuromodulatory pathway, regulating cortical state and linking arousal-associated desynchrony to cortical circuit resynchronization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Reitman
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vincent Tse
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Xuelong Mi
- Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Drew D Willoughby
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alba Peinado
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Bat-Erdene Myagmar
- Department of Medicine and Research Service, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Paul C Simpson
- Department of Medicine and Research Service, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Guoqiang Yu
- Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Kira E Poskanzer
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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9
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Hayden DJ, Finnie PSB, Thomazeau A, Li AY, Cooke SF, Bear MF. Electrophysiological signatures of visual recognition memory across all layers of mouse V1. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.25.524429. [PMID: 36747661 PMCID: PMC9900851 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.25.524429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In mouse primary visual cortex (V1), familiar stimuli evoke significantly altered responses when compared to novel stimuli. This stimulus-selective response plasticity (SRP) was described originally as an increase in the magnitude of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) elicited in layer (L) 4 by familiar phase-reversing grating stimuli. SRP is dependent on NMDA receptors (NMDAR) and has been hypothesized to reflect potentiation of thalamocortical synapses in L4. However, recent evidence indicates that the synaptic modifications that manifest as SRP do not occur on L4 principal cells. To shed light on where and how SRP is induced and expressed, the present study had three related aims: (1) to confirm that NMDAR are required specifically in glutamatergic principal neurons of V1, (2) to investigate the consequences of deleting NMDAR specifically in L6, and (3) to use translaminar electrophysiological recordings to characterize SRP expression in different layers of V1. We find that knockout of NMDAR in L6 principal neurons disrupts SRP. Current-source density analysis of the VEP depth profile shows augmentation of short latency current sinks in layers 3, 4 and 6 in response to phase reversals of familiar stimuli. Multiunit recordings demonstrate that increased peak firing occurs to in response to phase reversals of familiar stimuli across all layers, but that activity between phase reversals is suppressed. Together, these data reveal important aspects of the underlying phenomenology of SRP and generate new hypotheses for the expression of experience-dependent plasticity in V1. Significance Statement Repeated exposure to stimuli that portend neither reward nor punishment leads to behavioral habituation, enabling organisms to dedicate attention to novel or otherwise significant features of the environment. The neural basis of this process, which is so often dysregulated in neurological and psychiatric disorders, remains poorly understood. Learning and memory of stimulus familiarity can be studied in mouse visual cortex by measuring electrophysiological responses to simple phase-reversing grating stimuli. The current study advances knowledge of this process by documenting changes in visual evoked potentials, neuronal spiking activity, and oscillations in the local field potentials across all layers of mouse visual cortex. In addition, we identify a key contribution of a specific population of neurons in layer 6 of visual cortex.
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10
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Borden PY, Wright NC, Morrissette AE, Jaeger D, Haider B, Stanley GB. Thalamic bursting and the role of timing and synchrony in thalamocortical signaling in the awake mouse. Neuron 2022; 110:2836-2853.e8. [PMID: 35803270 PMCID: PMC9464711 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus controls transmission of sensory signals from periphery to cortex, ultimately shaping perception. Despite this significant role, dynamic thalamic gating and the consequences for downstream cortical sensory representations have not been well studied in the awake brain. We optogenetically modulated the ventro-posterior-medial thalamus in the vibrissa pathway of the awake mouse and measured spiking activity in the thalamus and activity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) using extracellular electrophysiology and genetically encoded voltage imaging. Thalamic hyperpolarization significantly enhanced thalamic sensory-evoked bursting; however, surprisingly, the S1 cortical response was not amplified, but instead, timing precision was significantly increased, spatial activation more focused, and there was an increased synchronization of cortical inhibitory neurons. A thalamocortical network model implicates the modulation of precise timing of feedforward thalamic population spiking, presenting a highly sensitive, timing-based gating of sensory signaling to the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Y Borden
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Nathaniel C Wright
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | | | - Dieter Jaeger
- Emory University, Department of Biology, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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11
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Visual evoked feedforward-feedback traveling waves organize neural activity across the cortical hierarchy in mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4754. [PMID: 35963850 PMCID: PMC9376099 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32378-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory processing is distributed among many brain regions that interact via feedforward and feedback signaling. Neuronal oscillations have been shown to mediate intercortical feedforward and feedback interactions. Yet, the macroscopic structure of the multitude of such oscillations remains unclear. Here, we show that simple visual stimuli reliably evoke two traveling waves with spatial wavelengths that cover much of the cerebral hemisphere in awake mice. 30-50 Hz feedforward waves arise in primary visual cortex (V1) and propagate rostrally, while 3-6 Hz feedback waves originate in the association cortex and flow caudally. The phase of the feedback wave modulates the amplitude of the feedforward wave and synchronizes firing between V1 and parietal cortex. Altogether, these results provide direct experimental evidence that visual evoked traveling waves percolate through the cerebral cortex and coordinate neuronal activity across broadly distributed networks mediating visual processing.
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12
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Optimizing intact skull intrinsic signal imaging for subsequent targeted electrophysiology across mouse visual cortex. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2063. [PMID: 35136111 PMCID: PMC8826313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05932-2] [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: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding brain function requires repeatable measurements of neural activity across multiple scales and multiple brain areas. In mice, large scale cortical neural activity evokes hemodynamic changes readily observable with intrinsic signal imaging (ISI). Pairing ISI with visual stimulation allows identification of primary visual cortex (V1) and higher visual areas (HVAs), typically through cranial windows that thin or remove the skull. These procedures can diminish long-term mechanical and physiological stability required for delicate electrophysiological measurements made weeks to months after imaging (e.g., in subjects undergoing behavioral training). Here, we optimized and directly validated an intact skull ISI system in mice. We first assessed how imaging quality and duration affect reliability of retinotopic maps in V1 and HVAs. We then verified ISI map retinotopy in V1 and HVAs with targeted, multi-site electrophysiology several weeks after imaging. Reliable ISI maps of V1 and multiple HVAs emerged with ~ 60 trials of imaging (65 ± 6 min), and these showed strong correlation to local field potential (LFP) retinotopy in superficial cortical layers (r2 = 0.74–0.82). This system is thus well-suited for targeted, multi-area electrophysiology weeks to months after imaging. We provide detailed instructions and code for other researchers to implement this system.
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13
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Nestvogel DB, McCormick DA. Visual thalamocortical mechanisms of waking state-dependent activity and alpha oscillations. Neuron 2022; 110:120-138.e4. [PMID: 34687663 PMCID: PMC8815448 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The brain exhibits distinct patterns of recurrent activity closely related to behavioral state. The neural mechanisms that underlie state-dependent activity in the awake animal are incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that two types of state-dependent activity, rapid arousal/movement-related signals and a 3-5 Hz alpha-like rhythm, in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice strongly correlate with activity in the visual thalamus. Inactivation of V1 does not interrupt arousal/movement signals in most visual thalamic neurons, but it abolishes the 3-5 Hz oscillation. Silencing of the visual thalamus similarly eradicates the alpha-like rhythm and perturbs arousal/movement-related activation in V1. Intracellular recordings in thalamic neurons reveal the 3-5 Hz oscillation to be associated with rhythmic low-threshold Ca2+ spikes. Our results indicate that thalamocortical interactions through ionotropic signaling, together with cell-intrinsic properties of thalamocortical cells, play a crucial role in shaping state-dependent activity in V1 of the awake animal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David A McCormick
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
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14
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Speed A, Haider B. Probing mechanisms of visual spatial attention in mice. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:822-836. [PMID: 34446296 PMCID: PMC8484049 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The role of spatial attention for visual perception has been thoroughly studied in primates, but less so in mice. Several behavioral tasks in mice reveal spatial attentional effects, with similarities to observations in primates. Pairing these tasks with large-scale, cell-type-specific techniques could enable deeper access to underlying mechanisms, and help define the utility and limitations of resolving attentional effects on visual perception and neural activity in mice. In this Review, we evaluate behavioral and neural evidence for visual spatial attention in mice; assess how specializations of the mouse visual system and behavioral repertoire impact interpretation of spatial attentional effects; and outline how several measurement and manipulation techniques in mice could precisely test and refine models of attentional modulation across scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson Speed
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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15
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Williams B, Del Rosario J, Muzzu T, Peelman K, Coletta S, Bichler EK, Speed A, Meyer-Baese L, Saleem AB, Haider B. Spatial modulation of dark versus bright stimulus responses in the mouse visual system. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4172-4179.e6. [PMID: 34314675 PMCID: PMC8478832 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental task of the visual system is to respond to both increases and decreases of luminance with action potentials (ON and OFF responses1-4). OFF responses are stronger, faster, and more salient than ON responses in primary visual cortex (V1) of both cats5,6 and primates,7,8 but in ferrets9 and mice,10 ON responses can be stronger, weaker,11 or balanced12 in comparison to OFF responses. These discrepancies could arise from differences in species, experimental techniques, or stimulus properties, particularly retinotopic location in the visual field, as has been speculated;9 however, the role of retinotopy for ON/OFF dominance has not been systematically tested across multiple scales of neural activity within species. Here, we measured OFF versus ON responses across large portions of visual space with silicon probe and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in mouse V1 and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). We found that OFF responses dominated in the central visual field, whereas ON and OFF responses were more balanced in the periphery. These findings were consistent across local field potential (LFP), spikes, and subthreshold membrane potential in V1, and were aligned with spatial biases in ON and OFF responses in LGN. Our findings reveal that retinotopy may provide a common organizing principle for spatial modulation of OFF versus ON processing in mammalian visual systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Williams
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joseph Del Rosario
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tomaso Muzzu
- UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Kayla Peelman
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stefano Coletta
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Edyta K Bichler
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anderson Speed
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lisa Meyer-Baese
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aman B Saleem
- UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Bilal Haider
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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16
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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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17
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Contribution of non-sensory neurons in visual cortical areas to visually guided decisions in the rat. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2757-2769.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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18
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van Beest EH, Mukherjee S, Kirchberger L, Schnabel UH, van der Togt C, Teeuwen RRM, Barsegyan A, Meyer AF, Poort J, Roelfsema PR, Self MW. Mouse visual cortex contains a region of enhanced spatial resolution. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4029. [PMID: 34188047 PMCID: PMC8242089 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24311-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The representation of space in mouse visual cortex was thought to be relatively uniform. Here we reveal, using population receptive-field (pRF) mapping techniques, that mouse visual cortex contains a region in which pRFs are considerably smaller. This region, the “focea,” represents a location in space in front of, and slightly above, the mouse. Using two-photon imaging we show that the smaller pRFs are due to lower scatter of receptive-fields at the focea and an over-representation of binocular regions of space. We show that receptive-fields of single-neurons in areas LM and AL are smaller at the focea and that mice have improved visual resolution in this region of space. Furthermore, freely moving mice make compensatory eye-movements to hold this region in front of them. Our results indicate that mice have spatial biases in their visual processing, a finding that has important implications for the use of the mouse model of vision. The representation of space in mouse visual cortex was considered to be relatively uniform. The authors show that mice have improved visual resolution in a cortical region representing a location in space directly in front and slightly above them, showing that the representation of space in mouse visual cortex is non-uniform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enny H van Beest
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sreedeep Mukherjee
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Kirchberger
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ulf H Schnabel
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chris van der Togt
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rob R M Teeuwen
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Areg Barsegyan
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arne F Meyer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jasper Poort
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Pieter R Roelfsema
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Matthew W Self
- Department of Vision & Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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19
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Wright NC, Borden PY, Liew YJ, Bolus MF, Stoy WM, Forest CR, Stanley GB. Rapid Cortical Adaptation and the Role of Thalamic Synchrony during Wakefulness. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5421-5439. [PMID: 33986072 PMCID: PMC8221593 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3018-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid sensory adaptation is observed across all sensory systems, and strongly shapes sensory percepts in complex sensory environments. Yet despite its ubiquity and likely necessity for survival, the mechanistic basis is poorly understood. A wide range of primarily in vitro and anesthetized studies have demonstrated the emergence of adaptation at the level of primary sensory cortex, with only modest signatures in earlier stages of processing. The nature of rapid adaptation and how it shapes sensory representations during wakefulness, and thus the potential role in perceptual adaptation, is underexplored, as are the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. To address these knowledge gaps, we recorded spiking activity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and the upstream ventral posteromedial (VPm) thalamic nucleus in the vibrissa pathway of awake male and female mice, and quantified responses to whisker stimuli delivered in isolation and embedded in an adapting sensory background. We found that cortical sensory responses were indeed adapted by persistent sensory stimulation; putative excitatory neurons were profoundly adapted, and inhibitory neurons only modestly so. Further optogenetic manipulation experiments and network modeling suggest this largely reflects adaptive changes in synchronous thalamic firing combined with robust engagement of feedforward inhibition, with little contribution from synaptic depression. Taken together, these results suggest that cortical adaptation in the regime explored here results from changes in the timing of thalamic input, and the way in which this differentially impacts cortical excitation and feedforward inhibition, pointing to a prominent role of thalamic gating in rapid adaptation of primary sensory cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rapid adaptation of sensory activity strongly shapes representations of sensory inputs across all sensory pathways over the timescale of seconds, and has profound effects on sensory perception. Despite its ubiquity and theoretical role in the efficient encoding of complex sensory environments, the mechanistic basis is poorly understood, particularly during wakefulness. In this study in the vibrissa pathway of awake mice, we show that cortical representations of sensory inputs are strongly shaped by rapid adaptation, and that this is mediated primarily by adaptive gating of the thalamic inputs to primary sensory cortex and the differential way in which these inputs engage cortical subpopulations of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel C Wright
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Peter Y Borden
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Yi Juin Liew
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and Beijing University, Beijing China 100871
| | - Michael F Bolus
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - William M Stoy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Craig R Forest
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
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20
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Del Rosario J, Speed A, Arrowood H, Motz C, Pardue M, Haider B. Diminished Cortical Excitation and Elevated Inhibition During Perceptual Impairments in a Mouse Model of Autism. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3462-3474. [PMID: 33677512 PMCID: PMC8525192 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory impairments are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These impairments affect visual perception and have been hypothesized to arise from imbalances in cortical excitatory and inhibitory activity. There is conflicting evidence for this hypothesis from several recent studies of transgenic mouse models of ASD; crucially, none have measured activity from identified excitatory and inhibitory neurons during simultaneous impairments of sensory perception. Here, we directly recorded putative excitatory and inhibitory population spiking in primary visual cortex (V1) while simultaneously measuring visual perceptual behavior in CNTNAP2-/- knockout (KO) mice. We observed quantitative impairments in the speed, accuracy, and contrast sensitivity of visual perception in KO mice. During these perceptual impairments, stimuli evoked more firing of inhibitory neurons and less firing of excitatory neurons, with reduced neural sensitivity to contrast. In addition, pervasive 3-10 Hz oscillations in superficial cortical layers 2/3 (L2/3) of KO mice degraded predictions of behavioral performance from neural activity. Our findings show that perceptual deficits relevant to ASD may be associated with elevated cortical inhibitory activity along with diminished and aberrant excitatory population activity in L2/3, a major source of feedforward projections to higher cortical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Del Rosario
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Anderson Speed
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Hayley Arrowood
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Cara Motz
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
| | - Machelle Pardue
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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21
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Johnson KP, Fitzpatrick MJ, Zhao L, Wang B, McCracken S, Williams PR, Kerschensteiner D. Cell-type-specific binocular vision guides predation in mice. Neuron 2021; 109:1527-1539.e4. [PMID: 33784498 PMCID: PMC8112612 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Predators use vision to hunt, and hunting success is one of evolution's main selection pressures. However, how viewing strategies and visual systems are adapted to predation is unclear. Tracking predator-prey interactions of mice and crickets in 3D, we find that mice trace crickets with their binocular visual fields and that monocular mice are poor hunters. Mammalian binocular vision requires ipsi- and contralateral projections of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to the brain. Large-scale single-cell recordings and morphological reconstructions reveal that only a small subset (9 of 40+) of RGC types in the ventrotemporal mouse retina innervate ipsilateral brain areas (ipsi-RGCs). Selective ablation of ipsi-RGCs (<2% of RGCs) in the adult retina drastically reduces the hunting success of mice. Stimuli based on ethological observations indicate that five ipsi-RGC types reliably signal prey. Thus, viewing strategies align with a spatially restricted and cell-type-specific set of ipsi-RGCs that supports binocular vision to guide predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith P Johnson
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michael J Fitzpatrick
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lei Zhao
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Bing Wang
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sean McCracken
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Philip R Williams
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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22
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Goldbach HC, Akitake B, Leedy CE, Histed MH. Performance in even a simple perceptual task depends on mouse secondary visual areas. eLife 2021; 10:e62156. [PMID: 33522482 PMCID: PMC7990500 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary visual cortex (V1) in the mouse projects to numerous brain areas, including several secondary visual areas, frontal cortex, and basal ganglia. While it has been demonstrated that optogenetic silencing of V1 strongly impairs visually guided behavior, it is not known which downstream areas are required for visual behaviors. Here we trained mice to perform a contrast-increment change detection task, for which substantial stimulus information is present in V1. Optogenetic silencing of visual responses in secondary visual areas revealed that their activity is required for even this simple visual task. In vivo electrophysiology showed that, although inhibiting secondary visual areas could produce some feedback effects in V1, the principal effect was profound suppression at the location of the optogenetic light. The results show that pathways through secondary visual areas are necessary for even simple visual behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah C Goldbach
- Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Bradley Akitake
- Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Caitlin E Leedy
- Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Mark H Histed
- Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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23
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Jacobs EAK, Steinmetz NA, Peters AJ, Carandini M, Harris KD. Cortical State Fluctuations during Sensory Decision Making. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4944-4955.e7. [PMID: 33096037 PMCID: PMC7758730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In many behavioral tasks, cortex enters a desynchronized state where low-frequency fluctuations in population activity are suppressed. The precise behavioral correlates of desynchronization and its global organization are unclear. One hypothesis holds that desynchronization enhances stimulus coding in the relevant sensory cortex. Another hypothesis holds that desynchronization reflects global arousal, such as task engagement. Here, we trained mice on tasks where task engagement could be distinguished from sensory accuracy. Using widefield calcium imaging, we found that performance-related desynchronization was global and correlated better with engagement than with accuracy. Consistent with this link between desynchronization and engagement, rewards had a long-lasting desynchronizing effect. To determine whether engagement-related state changes depended on the relevant sensory modality, we trained mice on visual and auditory tasks and found that in both cases desynchronization was global, including regions such as somatomotor cortex. We conclude that variations in low-frequency fluctuations are predominately global and related to task engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina A K Jacobs
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Nicholas A Steinmetz
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Andrew J Peters
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Kenneth D Harris
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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24
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Zhang Y, Zhang X. Portrait of visual cortical circuits for generating neural oscillation dynamics. Cogn Neurodyn 2020; 15:3-16. [PMID: 34109010 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-020-09623-4] [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: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse primary visual cortex (V1) has emerged as a classical system to study neural circuit mechanisms underlying visual function and plasticity. A variety of efferent-afferent neuronal connections exists within the V1 and between the V1 and higher visual cortical areas or thalamic nuclei, indicating that the V1 system is more than a mere receiver in information processing. Sensory representations in the V1 are dynamically correlated with neural activity oscillations that are distributed across different cortical layers in an input-dependent manner. Circuits consisting of excitatory pyramidal cells (PCs) and inhibitory interneurons (INs) are the basis for generating neural oscillations. In general, INs are clustered with their adjacent PCs to form specific microcircuits that gate or filter the neural information. The interaction between these two cell populations has to be coordinated within a local circuit in order to preserve neural coding schemes and maintain excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance. Phasic alternations of the E-I balance can dynamically regulate temporal rhythms of neural oscillation. Accumulating experimental evidence suggests that the two major sub-types of INs, parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) cells and somatostatin-expressing (SOM+) INs, are active in controlling slow and fast oscillations, respectively, in the mouse V1. The review summarizes recent experimental findings on elucidating cellular or circuitry mechanisms for the generation of neural oscillations with distinct rhythms in either developing or matured mouse V1, mainly focusing on visual relaying circuits and distinct local inhibitory circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
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25
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Michaiel AM, Abe ETT, Niell CM. Dynamics of gaze control during prey capture in freely moving mice. eLife 2020; 9:e57458. [PMID: 32706335 PMCID: PMC7438109 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies of visual processing are conducted in constrained conditions such as head- and gaze-fixation, and therefore less is known about how animals actively acquire visual information in natural contexts. To determine how mice target their gaze during natural behavior, we measured head and bilateral eye movements in mice performing prey capture, an ethological behavior that engages vision. We found that the majority of eye movements are compensatory for head movements, thereby serving to stabilize the visual scene. During movement, however, periods of stabilization are interspersed with non-compensatory saccades that abruptly shift gaze position. Notably, these saccades do not preferentially target the prey location. Rather, orienting movements are driven by the head, with the eyes following in coordination to sequentially stabilize and recenter the gaze. These findings relate eye movements in the mouse to other species, and provide a foundation for studying active vision during ethological behaviors in the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angie M Michaiel
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Elliott TT Abe
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Cristopher M Niell
- Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Biology, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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26
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Abstract
Neural activity and behavior are both notoriously variable, with responses differing widely between repeated presentation of identical stimuli or trials. Recent results in humans and animals reveal that these variations are not random in their nature, but may in fact be due in large part to rapid shifts in neural, cognitive, and behavioral states. Here we review recent advances in the understanding of rapid variations in the waking state, how variations are generated, and how they modulate neural and behavioral responses in both mice and humans. We propose that the brain has an identifiable set of states through which it wanders continuously in a nonrandom fashion, owing to the activity of both ascending modulatory and fast-acting corticocortical and subcortical-cortical neural pathways. These state variations provide the backdrop upon which the brain operates, and understanding them is critical to making progress in revealing the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A McCormick
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA;
| | - Dennis B Nestvogel
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA;
| | - Biyu J He
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Physiology, and Radiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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27
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Speed A, Del Rosario J, Mikail N, Haider B. Spatial attention enhances network, cellular and subthreshold responses in mouse visual cortex. Nat Commun 2020; 11:505. [PMID: 31980628 PMCID: PMC6981183 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14355-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Internal brain states strongly modulate sensory processing during behaviour. Studies of visual processing in primates show that attention to space selectively improves behavioural and neural responses to stimuli at the attended locations. Here we develop a visual spatial task for mice that elicits behavioural improvements consistent with the effects of spatial attention, and simultaneously measure network, cellular, and subthreshold activity in primary visual cortex. During trial-by-trial behavioural improvements, local field potential (LFP) responses to stimuli detected inside the receptive field (RF) strengthen. Moreover, detection inside the RF selectively enhances excitatory and inhibitory neuron responses to task-irrelevant stimuli and suppresses noise correlations and low frequency LFP fluctuations. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings reveal that detection inside the RF increases synaptic activity that depolarizes membrane potential responses at the behaviorally relevant location. Our study establishes that mice display fundamental signatures of visual spatial attention spanning behavioral, network, cellular, and synaptic levels, providing new insight into rapid cognitive enhancement of sensory signals in visual cortex. Extensive research in primates shows that attention to space improves behavioural performance as well as neural responses to stimuli in that location. Here, the authors establish a visual spatial attention task in mice and report on attentional modulation of behaviour, as well as neural correlates from subthreshold responses in single cells to spikes and LFP at network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson Speed
- Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Navid Mikail
- Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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28
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Waschke L, Tune S, Obleser J. Local cortical desynchronization and pupil-linked arousal differentially shape brain states for optimal sensory performance. eLife 2019; 8:e51501. [PMID: 31820732 PMCID: PMC6946578 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Instantaneous brain states have consequences for our sensation, perception, and behaviour. Fluctuations in arousal and neural desynchronization likely pose perceptually relevant states. However, their relationship and their relative impact on perception is unclear. We here show that, at the single-trial level in humans, local desynchronization in sensory cortex (expressed as time-series entropy) versus pupil-linked arousal differentially impact perceptual processing. While we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and pupillometry data, stimuli of a demanding auditory discrimination task were presented into states of high or low desynchronization of auditory cortex via a real-time closed-loop setup. Desynchronization and arousal distinctly influenced stimulus-evoked activity and shaped behaviour displaying an inverted u-shaped relationship: States of intermediate desynchronization elicited minimal response bias and fastest responses, while states of intermediate arousal gave rise to highest response sensitivity. Our results speak to a model in which independent states of local desynchronization and global arousal jointly optimise sensory processing and performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Tune
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LübeckLübeckGermany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of LübeckLübeckGermany
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29
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Distinct Waking States for Strong Evoked Responses in Primary Visual Cortex and Optimal Visual Detection Performance. J Neurosci 2019; 39:10044-10059. [PMID: 31672787 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1226-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in cortical neuronal responses to sensory stimuli and in perceptual decision making performance is substantial. Moment-to-moment fluctuations in waking state or arousal can account for much of this variability. Yet, this variability is rarely characterized across the full spectrum of waking states, leaving the characteristics of the optimal state for sensory processing unresolved. Using pupillometry in concert with extracellular multiunit and intracellular whole-cell recordings, we found that the magnitude and reliability of visually evoked responses in primary visual cortex (V1) of awake, passively behaving male mice increase as a function of arousal and are largest during sustained locomotion periods. During these high-arousal, sustained locomotion periods, cortical neuronal membrane potential was at its most depolarized and least variable. Contrastingly, behavioral performance of mice on two distinct visual detection tasks was generally best at a range of intermediate arousal levels, but worst during high arousal with locomotion. These results suggest that large, reliable responses to visual stimuli in V1 occur at a distinct arousal level from that associated with optimal visual detection performance. Our results clarify the relation between neuronal responsiveness and the continuum of waking states, and suggest new complexities in the relation between primary sensory cortical activity and behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cortical sensory processing strongly depends on arousal. In the mouse visual system, locomotion (associated with high arousal) has previously been shown to enhance the sensory responses of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). Yet, arousal fluctuates on a moment-to-moment basis, even during quiescent periods. The characteristics of V1 sensory processing across the continuum of arousal are unclear. Furthermore, the arousal level corresponding to optimal visual detection performance is unknown. We show that the magnitude and reliability of sensory-evoked V1 responses are monotonic increasing functions of arousal, and largest during locomotion. Visual detection behavior, however, is suboptimal during high arousal with locomotion, and usually best during intermediate arousal. Our study provides a more complete picture of the dependence of V1 sensory processing on arousal.
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30
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Functional flexibility in cortical circuits. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 58:175-180. [PMID: 31585330 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Cortical networks receive a highly variable stream of inputs from internal and external influences, and must flexibly adapt their operations on a short timescale. Recent work has highlighted this state-dependent functional flexibility of cortical circuits and provided initial insights into underlying circuit-level mechanisms. Transitions from quiescent to aroused or task-engaged behavioral states are associated with common motifs of network activity, including changes in correlations and enhanced sensory encoding. Evidence points to a key role for selective activation of specific GABAergic interneuron populations in mediating mode-switching in cortical networks. Finally, inhibitory interneurons may function as a critical target for convergent state-dependent neuromodulatory sculpting of cortical circuits.
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