1
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Mai J, Gargiullo R, Zheng M, Esho V, Hussein OE, Pollay E, Bowe C, Williamson LM, McElroy AF, Saunders JL, Goolsby WN, Brooks KA, Rodgers CC. Sound-seeking before and after hearing loss in mice. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19181. [PMID: 39160202 PMCID: PMC11333604 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67577-7] [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: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
How we move our bodies affects how we perceive sound. For instance, head movements help us to better localize the source of a sound and to compensate for asymmetric hearing loss. However, many auditory experiments are designed to restrict head and body movements. To study the role of movement in hearing, we developed a behavioral task called sound-seeking that rewarded freely moving mice for tracking down an ongoing sound source. Over the course of learning, mice more efficiently navigated to the sound. Next, we asked how sound-seeking was affected by hearing loss induced by surgical removal of the malleus from the middle ear. After bilateral hearing loss sound-seeking performance drastically declined and did not recover. In striking contrast, after unilateral hearing loss mice were only transiently impaired and then recovered their sound-seek ability over about a week. Throughout recovery, unilateral mice increasingly relied on a movement strategy of sequentially checking potential locations for the sound source. In contrast, the startle reflex (an innate auditory behavior) was preserved after unilateral hearing loss and abolished by bilateral hearing loss without recovery over time. In sum, mice compensate with body movement for permanent unilateral damage to the peripheral auditory system. Looking forward, this paradigm provides an opportunity to examine how movement enhances perception and enables resilient adaptation to sensory disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Mai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Rowan Gargiullo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Megan Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Valentina Esho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Osama E Hussein
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Eliana Pollay
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Cedric Bowe
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Lucas M Williamson
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Abigail F McElroy
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jonny L Saunders
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - William N Goolsby
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kaitlyn A Brooks
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30308, USA
| | - Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Biology, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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2
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Cole N, Harvey M, Myers-Joseph D, Gilra A, Khan AG. Prediction-error signals in anterior cingulate cortex drive task-switching. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7088. [PMID: 39154045 PMCID: PMC11330528 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51368-9] [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: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Task-switching is a fundamental cognitive ability that allows animals to update their knowledge of current rules or contexts. Detecting discrepancies between predicted and observed events is essential for this process. However, little is known about how the brain computes cognitive prediction-errors and whether neural prediction-error signals are causally related to task-switching behaviours. Here we trained mice to use a prediction-error to switch, in a single trial, between responding to the same stimuli using two distinct rules. Optogenetic silencing and un-silencing, together with widefield and two-photon calcium imaging revealed that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was specifically required for this rapid task-switching, but only when it exhibited neural prediction-error signals. These prediction-error signals were projection-target dependent and were larger preceding successful behavioural transitions. An all-optical approach revealed a disinhibitory interneuron circuit required for successful prediction-error computation. These results reveal a circuit mechanism for computing prediction-errors and transitioning between distinct cognitive states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Cole
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Harvey
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Dylan Myers-Joseph
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Aditya Gilra
- Machine Learning Group, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Adil G Khan
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK.
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3
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Kato DD, Bruno RM. Stability of cross-sensory input to primary somatosensory cortex across experience. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.07.607026. [PMID: 39149350 PMCID: PMC11326227 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.07.607026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Merging information from across sensory modalities is key to forming robust, disambiguated percepts of the world, yet how the brain achieves this feat remains unclear. Recent observations of cross-modal influences in primary sensory cortical areas have suggested that multisensory integration may occur in the earliest stages of cortical processing, but the role of these responses is still poorly understood. We address these questions by testing several hypotheses about the possible functions served by auditory influences on the barrel field of mouse primary somatosensory cortex (S1) using in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging. We observed sound-evoked spiking activity in a small fraction of cells overall, and moreover that this sparse activity was insufficient to encode auditory stimulus identity; few cells responded preferentially to one sound or another, and a linear classifier trained to decode auditory stimuli from population activity performed barely above chance. Moreover S1 did not encode information about specific audio-tactile feature conjunctions that we tested. Our ability to decode auditory audio-tactile stimuli from neural activity remained unchanged after both passive experience and reinforcement. Collectively, these results suggest that while a primary sensory cortex is highly plastic with regard to its own modality, the influence of other modalities are remarkably stable and play a largely stimulus-non-specific role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Kato
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Randy M Bruno
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
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4
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Insanally MN, Albanna BF, Toth J, DePasquale B, Fadaei SS, Gupta T, Lombardi O, Kuchibhotla K, Rajan K, Froemke RC. Contributions of cortical neuron firing patterns, synaptic connectivity, and plasticity to task performance. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6023. [PMID: 39019848 PMCID: PMC11255273 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49895-6] [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: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuronal responses during behavior are diverse, ranging from highly reliable 'classical' responses to irregular 'non-classically responsive' firing. While a continuum of response properties is observed across neural systems, little is known about the synaptic origins and contributions of diverse responses to network function, perception, and behavior. To capture the heterogeneous responses measured from auditory cortex of rodents performing a frequency recognition task, we use a novel task-performing spiking recurrent neural network incorporating spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Reliable and irregular units contribute differentially to task performance via output and recurrent connections, respectively. Excitatory plasticity shifts the response distribution while inhibition constrains its diversity. Together both improve task performance with full network engagement. The same local patterns of synaptic inputs predict spiking response properties of network units and auditory cortical neurons from in vivo whole-cell recordings during behavior. Thus, diverse neural responses contribute to network function and emerge from synaptic plasticity rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele N Insanally
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
- Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Badr F Albanna
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Jade Toth
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Brian DePasquale
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Saba Shokat Fadaei
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Trisha Gupta
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Olivia Lombardi
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Kishore Kuchibhotla
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Kanaka Rajan
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Kempner Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
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5
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Ostojic S, Fusi S. Computational role of structure in neural activity and connectivity. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:677-690. [PMID: 38553340 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
One major challenge of neuroscience is identifying structure in seemingly disorganized neural activity. Different types of structure have different computational implications that can help neuroscientists understand the functional role of a particular brain area. Here, we outline a unified approach to characterize structure by inspecting the representational geometry and the modularity properties of the recorded activity and show that a similar approach can also reveal structure in connectivity. We start by setting up a general framework for determining geometry and modularity in activity and connectivity and relating these properties with computations performed by the network. We then use this framework to review the types of structure found in recent studies of model networks performing three classes of computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srdjan Ostojic
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Ecole Normale Superieure - PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Stefano Fusi
- Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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6
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Chang YT, Finkel EA, Xu D, O'Connor DH. Rule-based modulation of a sensorimotor transformation across cortical areas. eLife 2024; 12:RP92620. [PMID: 38842277 PMCID: PMC11156468 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92620] [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] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Flexible responses to sensory stimuli based on changing rules are critical for adapting to a dynamic environment. However, it remains unclear how the brain encodes and uses rule information to guide behavior. Here, we made single-unit recordings while head-fixed mice performed a cross-modal sensory selection task where they switched between two rules: licking in response to tactile stimuli while rejecting visual stimuli, or vice versa. Along a cortical sensorimotor processing stream including the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory areas, and the medial (MM) and anterolateral (ALM) motor areas, single-neuron activity distinguished between the two rules both prior to and in response to the tactile stimulus. We hypothesized that neural populations in these areas would show rule-dependent preparatory states, which would shape the subsequent sensory processing and behavior. This hypothesis was supported for the motor cortical areas (MM and ALM) by findings that (1) the current task rule could be decoded from pre-stimulus population activity; (2) neural subspaces containing the population activity differed between the two rules; and (3) optogenetic disruption of pre-stimulus states impaired task performance. Our findings indicate that flexible action selection in response to sensory input can occur via configuration of preparatory states in the motor cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Chang
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Eric A Finkel
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Duo Xu
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
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7
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Chang YT, Finkel EA, Xu D, O'Connor DH. Rule-based modulation of a sensorimotor transformation across cortical areas. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.21.554194. [PMID: 37662301 PMCID: PMC10473613 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Flexible responses to sensory stimuli based on changing rules are critical for adapting to a dynamic environment. However, it remains unclear how the brain encodes rule information and uses this information to guide behavioral responses to sensory stimuli. Here, we made single-unit recordings while head-fixed mice performed a cross-modal sensory selection task in which they switched between two rules in different blocks of trials: licking in response to tactile stimuli applied to a whisker while rejecting visual stimuli, or licking to visual stimuli while rejecting the tactile stimuli. Along a cortical sensorimotor processing stream including the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory areas, and the medial (MM) and anterolateral (ALM) motor areas, the single-trial activity of individual neurons distinguished between the two rules both prior to and in response to the tactile stimulus. Variable rule-dependent responses to identical stimuli could in principle occur via appropriate configuration of pre-stimulus preparatory states of a neural population, which would shape the subsequent response. We hypothesized that neural populations in S1, S2, MM and ALM would show preparatory activity states that were set in a rule-dependent manner to cause processing of sensory information according to the current rule. This hypothesis was supported for the motor cortical areas by findings that (1) the current task rule could be decoded from pre-stimulus population activity in ALM and MM; (2) neural subspaces containing the population activity differed between the two rules; and (3) optogenetic disruption of pre-stimulus states within ALM and MM impaired task performance. Our findings indicate that flexible selection of an appropriate action in response to a sensory input can occur via configuration of preparatory states in the motor cortex.
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8
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Hockley A, Malmierca MS. Auditory processing control by the medial prefrontal cortex: A review of the rodent functional organisation. Hear Res 2024; 443:108954. [PMID: 38271895 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Afferent inputs from the cochlea transmit auditory information to the central nervous system, where information is processed and passed up the hierarchy, ending in the auditory cortex. Through these brain pathways, spectral and temporal features of sounds are processed and sent to the cortex for perception. There are also many mechanisms in place for modulation of these inputs, with a major source of modulation being based in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Neurons of the rodent mPFC receive input from the auditory cortex and other regions such as thalamus, hippocampus and basal forebrain, allowing them to encode high-order information about sounds such as context, predictability and valence. The mPFC then exerts control over auditory perception via top-down modulation of the central auditory pathway, altering perception of and responses to sounds. The result is a higher-order control of auditory processing that produces such characteristics as deviance detection, attention, avoidance and fear conditioning. This review summarises connections between mPFC and the primary auditory pathway, responses of mPFC neurons to auditory stimuli, how mPFC outputs shape the perception of sounds, and how changes to these systems during hearing loss and tinnitus may contribute to these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hockley
- Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
| | - M S Malmierca
- Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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9
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Han S, Helmchen F. Behavior-relevant top-down cross-modal predictions in mouse neocortex. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:298-308. [PMID: 38177341 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01534-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Animals adapt to a constantly changing world by predicting their environment and the consequences of their actions. The predictive coding hypothesis proposes that the brain generates predictions and continuously compares them with sensory inputs to guide behavior. However, how the brain reconciles conflicting top-down predictions and bottom-up sensory information remains unclear. To address this question, we simultaneously imaged neuronal populations in the mouse somatosensory barrel cortex and posterior parietal cortex during an auditory-cued texture discrimination task. In mice that had learned the task with fixed tone-texture matching, the presentation of mismatched pairing induced conflicts between tone-based texture predictions and actual texture inputs. When decisions were based on the predicted rather than the actual texture, top-down information flow was dominant and texture representations in both areas were modified, whereas dominant bottom-up information flow led to correct representations and behavioral choice. Our findings provide evidence for hierarchical predictive coding in the mouse neocortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Han
- Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Fritjof Helmchen
- Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- University Research Priority Program (URPP), Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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10
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Mai J, Gargiullo R, Zheng M, Esho V, Hussein OE, Pollay E, Bowe C, Williamson LM, McElroy AF, Goolsby WN, Brooks KA, Rodgers CC. Sound-seeking before and after hearing loss in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.08.574475. [PMID: 38260458 PMCID: PMC10802496 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.08.574475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
How we move our bodies affects how we perceive sound. For instance, we can explore an environment to seek out the source of a sound and we can use head movements to compensate for hearing loss. How we do this is not well understood because many auditory experiments are designed to limit head and body movements. To study the role of movement in hearing, we developed a behavioral task called sound-seeking that rewarded mice for tracking down an ongoing sound source. Over the course of learning, mice more efficiently navigated to the sound. We then asked how auditory behavior was affected by hearing loss induced by surgical removal of the malleus from the middle ear. An innate behavior, the auditory startle response, was abolished by bilateral hearing loss and unaffected by unilateral hearing loss. Similarly, performance on the sound-seeking task drastically declined after bilateral hearing loss and did not recover. In striking contrast, mice with unilateral hearing loss were only transiently impaired on sound-seeking; over a recovery period of about a week, they regained high levels of performance, increasingly reliant on a different spatial sampling strategy. Thus, even in the face of permanent unilateral damage to the peripheral auditory system, mice recover their ability to perform a naturalistic sound-seeking task. This paradigm provides an opportunity to examine how body movement enables better hearing and resilient adaptation to sensory deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Mai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Rowan Gargiullo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Megan Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Valentina Esho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Osama E Hussein
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Eliana Pollay
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Cedric Bowe
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322
| | | | | | - William N Goolsby
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Kaitlyn A Brooks
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30308
| | - Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322
- Department of Biology, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Atlanta GA 30322
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11
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Chillale RK, Shamma S, Ostojic S, Boubenec Y. Dynamics and maintenance of categorical responses in primary auditory cortex during task engagement. eLife 2023; 12:e85706. [PMID: 37970945 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85706] [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: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Grouping sets of sounds into relevant categories is an important cognitive ability that enables the association of stimuli with appropriate goal-directed behavioral responses. In perceptual tasks, the primary auditory cortex (A1) assumes a prominent role by concurrently encoding both sound sensory features and task-related variables. Here, we sought to explore the role of A1 in the initiation of sound categorization, shedding light on its involvement in this cognitive process. We trained ferrets to discriminate click trains of different rates in a Go/No-Go delayed categorization task and recorded neural activity during both active behavior and passive exposure to the same sounds. Purely categorical response components were extracted and analyzed separately from sensory responses to reveal their contributions to the overall population response throughout the trials. We found that categorical activity emerged during sound presentation in the population average and was present in both active behavioral and passive states. However, upon task engagement, categorical responses to the No-Go category became suppressed in the population code, leading to an asymmetrical representation of the Go stimuli relative to the No-Go sounds and pre-stimulus baseline. The population code underwent an abrupt change at stimulus offset, with sustained responses after the Go sounds during the delay period. Notably, the categorical responses observed during the stimulus period exhibited a significant correlation with those extracted from the delay epoch, suggesting an early involvement of A1 in stimulus categorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupesh K Chillale
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University,, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives Computationnelle (INSERM U960), Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Shihab Shamma
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University,, Paris, France
- Institute for System Research, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland, United States
| | - Srdjan Ostojic
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives Computationnelle (INSERM U960), Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Yves Boubenec
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University,, Paris, France
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12
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Barbosa J, Proville R, Rodgers CC, DeWeese MR, Ostojic S, Boubenec Y. Early selection of task-relevant features through population gating. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6837. [PMID: 37884507 PMCID: PMC10603060 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42519-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Brains can gracefully weed out irrelevant stimuli to guide behavior. This feat is believed to rely on a progressive selection of task-relevant stimuli across the cortical hierarchy, but the specific across-area interactions enabling stimulus selection are still unclear. Here, we propose that population gating, occurring within primary auditory cortex (A1) but controlled by top-down inputs from prelimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), can support across-area stimulus selection. Examining single-unit activity recorded while rats performed an auditory context-dependent task, we found that A1 encoded relevant and irrelevant stimuli along a common dimension of its neural space. Yet, the relevant stimulus encoding was enhanced along an extra dimension. In turn, mPFC encoded only the stimulus relevant to the ongoing context. To identify candidate mechanisms for stimulus selection within A1, we reverse-engineered low-rank RNNs trained on a similar task. Our analyses predicted that two context-modulated neural populations gated their preferred stimulus in opposite contexts, which we confirmed in further analyses of A1. Finally, we show in a two-region RNN how population gating within A1 could be controlled by top-down inputs from PFC, enabling flexible across-area communication despite fixed inter-areal connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joao Barbosa
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Ecole Normale Superieure - PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Rémi Proville
- Tailored Data Solutions, 192 Cours Gambetta, 84300, Cavaillon, France
| | - Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30033, USA
| | - Michael R DeWeese
- Department of Physics, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Srdjan Ostojic
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Ecole Normale Superieure - PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Yves Boubenec
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
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13
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Hajnal MA, Tran D, Einstein M, Martelo MV, Safaryan K, Polack PO, Golshani P, Orbán G. Continuous multiplexed population representations of task context in the mouse primary visual cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6687. [PMID: 37865648 PMCID: PMC10590415 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42441-w] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective task execution requires the representation of multiple task-related variables that determine how stimuli lead to correct responses. Even the primary visual cortex (V1) represents other task-related variables such as expectations, choice, and context. However, it is unclear how V1 can flexibly accommodate these variables without interfering with visual representations. We trained mice on a context-switching cross-modal decision task, where performance depends on inferring task context. We found that the context signal that emerged in V1 was behaviorally relevant as it strongly covaried with performance, independent from movement. Importantly, this signal was integrated into V1 representation by multiplexing visual and context signals into orthogonal subspaces. In addition, auditory and choice signals were also multiplexed as these signals were orthogonal to the context representation. Thus, multiplexing allows V1 to integrate visual inputs with other sensory modalities and cognitive variables to avoid interference with the visual representation while ensuring the maintenance of task-relevant variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Márton Albert Hajnal
- Department of Computational Sciences, Wigner Research Center for Physics, Budapest, 1121, Hungary
| | - Duy Tran
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Michael Einstein
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Mauricio Vallejo Martelo
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Karen Safaryan
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Pierre-Olivier Polack
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, CA, 90073, Los Angeles, USA.
| | - Gergő Orbán
- Department of Computational Sciences, Wigner Research Center for Physics, Budapest, 1121, Hungary.
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14
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Lu K, Wong KT, Zhou LN, Shi YT, Yang CJ, Liu RC. Instinct to insight: Neural correlates of ethological strategy learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.11.557240. [PMID: 37745495 PMCID: PMC10515821 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.11.557240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
In ethological behaviors like parenting, animals innately follow stereotyped patterns of choices to decide between uncertain outcomes but can learn to modify their strategies to incorporate new information. For example, female mice in a T-maze instinctively use spatial-memory to search for pups where they last found them but can learn more efficient strategies employing pup-associated acoustic cues. We uncovered neural correlates for transitioning between these innate and learned strategies. Auditory cortex (ACx) was required during learning. ACx firing at the nest increased with learning and correlated with subsequent search speed but not outcome. Surprisingly, ACx suppression rather than facilitation during search was more prognostic of correct sound-cued outcomes - even before adopting a sound-cued strategy. Meanwhile medial prefrontal cortex encoded the last pup location, but this decayed as the spatial-memory strategy declined. Our results suggest a neural competition between a weakening spatial-memory and strengthening sound-cued neural representation to mediate strategy switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Lu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kelvin T. Wong
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lin N. Zhou
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Yike T. Shi
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Robert C. Liu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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15
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Vivaldo CA, Lee J, Shorkey M, Keerthy A, Rothschild G. Auditory cortex ensembles jointly encode sound and locomotion speed to support sound perception during movement. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002277. [PMID: 37651461 PMCID: PMC10499203 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to process and act upon incoming sounds during locomotion is critical for survival and adaptive behavior. Despite the established role that the auditory cortex (AC) plays in behavior- and context-dependent sound processing, previous studies have found that auditory cortical activity is on average suppressed during locomotion as compared to immobility. While suppression of auditory cortical responses to self-generated sounds results from corollary discharge, which weakens responses to predictable sounds, the functional role of weaker responses to unpredictable external sounds during locomotion remains unclear. In particular, whether suppression of external sound-evoked responses during locomotion reflects reduced involvement of the AC in sound processing or whether it results from masking by an alternative neural computation in this state remains unresolved. Here, we tested the hypothesis that rather than simple inhibition, reduced sound-evoked responses during locomotion reflect a tradeoff with the emergence of explicit and reliable coding of locomotion velocity. To test this hypothesis, we first used neural inactivation in behaving mice and found that the AC plays a critical role in sound-guided behavior during locomotion. To investigate the nature of this processing, we used two-photon calcium imaging of local excitatory auditory cortical neural populations in awake mice. We found that locomotion had diverse influences on activity of different neurons, with a net suppression of baseline-subtracted sound-evoked responses and neural stimulus detection, consistent with previous studies. Importantly, we found that the net inhibitory effect of locomotion on baseline-subtracted sound-evoked responses was strongly shaped by elevated ongoing activity that compressed the response dynamic range, and that rather than reflecting enhanced "noise," this ongoing activity reliably encoded the animal's locomotion speed. Decoding analyses revealed that locomotion speed and sound are robustly co-encoded by auditory cortical ensemble activity. Finally, we found consistent patterns of joint coding of sound and locomotion speed in electrophysiologically recorded activity in freely moving rats. Together, our data suggest that rather than being suppressed by locomotion, auditory cortical ensembles explicitly encode it alongside sound information to support sound perception during locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Arturo Vivaldo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Joonyeup Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - MaryClaire Shorkey
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Ajay Keerthy
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Gideon Rothschild
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute and Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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16
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Stephenson S, Liu A, Blackwell AA, Britten RA. Multiple decrements in switch task performance in female rats exposed to space radiation. Behav Brain Res 2023; 449:114465. [PMID: 37142163 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114465] [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: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Astronauts on the Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars will be exposed to unavoidable Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR). Studies using male rats suggest that GCR exposure impairs several processes required for cognitive flexibility performance, including attention and task switching. Currently no comparable studies have been conducted with female rats. Given that both males and females will travel into deep space, this study determined whether simulated GCR (GCRsim) exposure impairs task switching performance in female rats. Female Wistar rats exposed to 10cGy GCRsim (n = 12) and shams (n=14) were trained to perform a touchscreen-based switch task that mimics a switch task used to evaluate pilots' response times. In comparison to sham rats, three-fold more GCRsim-exposed rats failed to complete the stimulus response stage of training, a high cognitive loading task. In the switch task, 50% of the GCRsim-exposed rats failed to consistently transition between the repeated and switch blocks of stimuli, which they completed during lower cognitive loading training stages. The GCRsim-exposed rats that completed the switch task only performed at 65% of the accuracy of shams. Female rats exposed to GCRsim thus exhibit multiple decrements in the switch task under high, but not low, cognitive loading conditions. While the operational significance of this performance decrement is unknown, if GCRSim exposure was to induce similar effects in astronauts, our data suggests there may be a reduced ability to execute task switching under high cognitive loading situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Stephenson
- School of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA
| | - Aiyi Liu
- EVMS Radiation Oncology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA
| | - Ashley A Blackwell
- EVMS Radiation Oncology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Inflammatory Diseases, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA
| | - Richard A Britten
- EVMS Radiation Oncology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Inflammatory Diseases, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia 23507 USA.
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17
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Abstract
Neural mechanisms of perceptual decision making have been extensively studied in experimental settings that mimic stable environments with repeating stimuli, fixed rules, and payoffs. In contrast, we live in an ever-changing environment and have varying goals and behavioral demands. To accommodate variability, our brain flexibly adjusts decision-making processes depending on context. Here, we review a growing body of research that explores the neural mechanisms underlying this flexibility. We highlight diverse forms of context dependency in decision making implemented through a variety of neural computations. Context-dependent neural activity is observed in a distributed network of brain structures, including posterior parietal, sensory, motor, and subcortical regions, as well as the prefrontal areas classically implicated in cognitive control. We propose that investigating the distributed network underlying flexible decisions is key to advancing our understanding and discuss a path forward for experimental and theoretical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gouki Okazawa
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA;
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Roozbeh Kiani
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA;
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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18
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Zhang N, Xu NL. Reshaping sensory representations by task-specific brain states: Toward cortical circuit mechanisms. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 77:102628. [PMID: 36116166 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Perception is internally constructed by integrating brain states with external sensory inputs, a process depending on the topdown modulation of sensory representations. A wealth of earlier studies described task-dependent modulations of sensory cortex corroborating perceptual and behavioral phenomena. But only with recent technological advancements, the underlying circuit-level mechanisms began to be unveiled. We review recent progress along this line of research. It begins to be appreciated that topdown signals can encode various types of task-related information, ranging from task engagement, and category knowledge to decision execution; these signals are transferred via feedback pathways originating from distinct association cortices and interact with sensory cortical circuits. These plausible mechanisms support a broad range of computations from predictive coding to inference making, ultimately form dynamic percepts and endow behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningyu Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Ning-Long Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China.
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19
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Billig AJ, Lad M, Sedley W, Griffiths TD. The hearing hippocampus. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 218:102326. [PMID: 35870677 PMCID: PMC10510040 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus has a well-established role in spatial and episodic memory but a broader function has been proposed including aspects of perception and relational processing. Neural bases of sound analysis have been described in the pathway to auditory cortex, but wider networks supporting auditory cognition are still being established. We review what is known about the role of the hippocampus in processing auditory information, and how the hippocampus itself is shaped by sound. In examining imaging, recording, and lesion studies in species from rodents to humans, we uncover a hierarchy of hippocampal responses to sound including during passive exposure, active listening, and the learning of associations between sounds and other stimuli. We describe how the hippocampus' connectivity and computational architecture allow it to track and manipulate auditory information - whether in the form of speech, music, or environmental, emotional, or phantom sounds. Functional and structural correlates of auditory experience are also identified. The extent of auditory-hippocampal interactions is consistent with the view that the hippocampus makes broad contributions to perception and cognition, beyond spatial and episodic memory. More deeply understanding these interactions may unlock applications including entraining hippocampal rhythms to support cognition, and intervening in links between hearing loss and dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meher Lad
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - William Sedley
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; Human Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, USA
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20
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Rabinovich RJ, Kato DD, Bruno RM. Learning enhances encoding of time and temporal surprise in mouse primary sensory cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5504. [PMID: 36127340 PMCID: PMC9489862 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33141-y] [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: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary sensory cortex has long been believed to play a straightforward role in the initial processing of sensory information. Yet, the superficial layers of cortex overall are sparsely active, even during sensory stimulation; additionally, cortical activity is influenced by other modalities, task context, reward, and behavioral state. Our study demonstrates that reinforcement learning dramatically alters representations among longitudinally imaged neurons in superficial layers of mouse primary somatosensory cortex. Learning an object detection task recruits previously unresponsive neurons, enlarging the neuronal population sensitive to touch and behavioral choice. Cortical responses decrease upon repeated stimulus presentation outside of the behavioral task. Moreover, training improves population encoding of the passage of time, and unexpected deviations in trial timing elicit even stronger responses than touches do. In conclusion, the superficial layers of sensory cortex exhibit a high degree of learning-dependent plasticity and are strongly modulated by non-sensory but behaviorally-relevant features, such as timing and surprise. Activity in the superficial layers of the sensory cortex is believed to be largely driven by incoming sensory stimuli. Here the authors demonstrate how learning changes neural responses to sensations according to both behavioral relevance and timing, suggesting a high degree of non-sensory modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Rabinovich
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Daniel D Kato
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Randy M Bruno
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA. .,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA. .,Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA. .,Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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21
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Morrill RJ, Bigelow J, DeKloe J, Hasenstaub AR. Audiovisual task switching rapidly modulates sound encoding in mouse auditory cortex. eLife 2022; 11:e75839. [PMID: 35980027 PMCID: PMC9427107 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In everyday behavior, sensory systems are in constant competition for attentional resources, but the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms of modality-selective attention remain largely uninvestigated. We conducted translaminar recordings in mouse auditory cortex (AC) during an audiovisual (AV) attention shifting task. Attending to sound elements in an AV stream reduced both pre-stimulus and stimulus-evoked spiking activity, primarily in deep-layer neurons and neurons without spectrotemporal tuning. Despite reduced spiking, stimulus decoder accuracy was preserved, suggesting improved sound encoding efficiency. Similarly, task-irrelevant mapping stimuli during inter-trial intervals evoked fewer spikes without impairing stimulus encoding, indicating that attentional modulation generalized beyond training stimuli. Importantly, spiking reductions predicted trial-to-trial behavioral accuracy during auditory attention, but not visual attention. Together, these findings suggest auditory attention facilitates sound discrimination by filtering sound-irrelevant background activity in AC, and that the deepest cortical layers serve as a hub for integrating extramodal contextual information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Morrill
- Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - James Bigelow
- Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Jefferson DeKloe
- Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Andrea R Hasenstaub
- Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
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22
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Francis NA, Mukherjee S, Koçillari L, Panzeri S, Babadi B, Kanold PO. Sequential transmission of task-relevant information in cortical neuronal networks. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110878. [PMID: 35649366 PMCID: PMC9387204 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical processing of task-relevant information enables recognition of behaviorally meaningful sensory events. It is unclear how task-related information is represented within cortical networks by the activity of individual neurons and their functional interactions. Here, we use two-photon imaging to record neuronal activity from the primary auditory cortex of mice during a pure-tone discrimination task. We find that a subset of neurons transiently encode sensory information used to inform behavioral choice. Using Granger causality analysis, we show that these neurons form functional networks in which information transmits sequentially. Network structures differ for target versus non-target tones, encode behavioral choice, and differ between correct versus incorrect behavioral choices. Correct behavioral choices are associated with shorter communication timescales, larger functional correlations, and greater information redundancy. In summary, specialized neurons in primary auditory cortex integrate task-related information and form functional networks whose structures encode both sensory input and behavioral choice. Francis et al. find that, as mice perform an auditory discrimination task, cortical neurons form functional networks in which task-relevant information transmits sequentially between neurons. Network structures encode behavioral choice, and correct behavioral choices are associated with shorter communication timescales, larger functional correlations, and greater information redundancy between neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas A Francis
- Department of Biology & Brain and Behavior Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Shoutik Mukherjee
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Loren Koçillari
- Laboratory of Neural Computation, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto 38068, Italy; Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Falkenried 94, D-20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Laboratory of Neural Computation, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto 38068, Italy; Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Falkenried 94, D-20251 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Behtash Babadi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Patrick O Kanold
- Department of Biology & Brain and Behavior Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering & Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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23
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Cansler HL, in ’t Zandt EE, Carlson KS, Khan WT, Ma M, Wesson DW. Organization and engagement of a prefrontal-olfactory network during olfactory selective attention. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:1504-1526. [PMID: 35511680 PMCID: PMC9930634 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sensory perception is profoundly shaped by attention. Attending to an odor strongly regulates if and how it is perceived - yet the brain systems involved in this process are unknown. Here we report integration of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a collection of brain regions integral to attention, with the olfactory system in the context of selective attention to odors. METHODS First, we used tracing methods to establish the tubular striatum (TuS, also known as the olfactory tubercle) as the primary olfactory region to receive direct mPFC input in rats. Next, we recorded (i) local field potentials from the olfactory bulb (OB), mPFC, and TuS, or (ii) sniffing, while rats completed an olfactory selective attention task. RESULTS Gamma power and coupling of gamma oscillations with theta phase were consistently high as rats flexibly switched their attention to odors. Beta and theta synchrony between mPFC and olfactory regions were elevated as rats switched their attention to odors. Finally, we found that sniffing was consistent despite shifting attentional demands, suggesting that the mPFC-OB theta coherence is independent of changes in active sampling. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings begin to define an olfactory attention network wherein mPFC activity, as well as that within olfactory regions, are coordinated based upon attentional states.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Estelle E in ’t Zandt
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
| | - Kaitlin S Carlson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
| | - Waseh T Khan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
| | - Minghong Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 110 Johnson Pavilion, 3610 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Daniel W Wesson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
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24
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Ventral pallidum regulates the default mode network, controlling transitions between internally and externally guided behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103642118. [PMID: 34462351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103642118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Daily life requires transitions between performance of well-practiced, automatized behaviors reliant upon internalized representations and behaviors requiring external focus. Such transitions involve differential activation of the default mode network (DMN), a group of brain areas associated with inward focus. We asked how optogenetic modulation of the ventral pallidum (VP), a subcortical DMN node, impacts task switching between internally to externally guided lever-pressing behavior in the rat. Excitation of the VP dramatically compromised acquisition of an auditory discrimination task, trapping animals in a DMN state of automatized internally focused behavior and impairing their ability to direct attention to external sensory stimuli. VP inhibition, on the other hand, facilitated task acquisition, expediting escape from the DMN brain state, thereby allowing rats to incorporate the contingency changes associated with the auditory stimuli. We suggest that VP, instant by instant, regulates the DMN and plays a deterministic role in transitions between internally and externally guided behaviors.
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25
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Rodgers CC, Nogueira R, Pil BC, Greeman EA, Park JM, Hong YK, Fusi S, Bruno RM. Sensorimotor strategies and neuronal representations for shape discrimination. Neuron 2021; 109:2308-2325.e10. [PMID: 34133944 PMCID: PMC8298290 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Humans and other animals can identify objects by active touch, requiring the coordination of exploratory motion and tactile sensation. Both the motor strategies and neural representations employed could depend on the subject's goals. We developed a shape discrimination task that challenged head-fixed mice to discriminate concave from convex shapes. Behavioral decoding revealed that mice did this by comparing contacts across whiskers. In contrast, a separate group of mice performing a shape detection task simply summed up contacts over whiskers. We recorded populations of neurons in the barrel cortex, which processes whisker input, and found that individual neurons across the cortical layers encoded touch, whisker motion, and task-related signals. Sensory representations were task-specific: during shape discrimination, but not detection, neurons responded most to behaviorally relevant whiskers, overriding somatotopy. Thus, sensory cortex employs task-specific representations compatible with behaviorally relevant computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Ramon Nogueira
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - B Christina Pil
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Esther A Greeman
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Jung M Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Y Kate Hong
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Stefano Fusi
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Randy M Bruno
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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26
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Rodgers CC, Albanna BF, Insanally MN. Decision making: Making sense of non-sensory neurons. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R845-R848. [PMID: 34256916 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Decisions can be made internally and implicitly, without being expressed explicitly. A new study reveals how implicit decisions might engage the enigmatic 'non-sensory' neurons in sensory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neuroscience and Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Badr F Albanna
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Michele N Insanally
- Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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27
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Clayton KK, Asokan MM, Watanabe Y, Hancock KE, Polley DB. Behavioral Approaches to Study Top-Down Influences on Active Listening. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:666627. [PMID: 34305516 PMCID: PMC8299106 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.666627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The massive network of descending corticofugal projections has been long-recognized by anatomists, but their functional contributions to sound processing and auditory-guided behaviors remain a mystery. Most efforts to characterize the auditory corticofugal system have been inductive; wherein function is inferred from a few studies employing a wide range of methods to manipulate varying limbs of the descending system in a variety of species and preparations. An alternative approach, which we focus on here, is to first establish auditory-guided behaviors that reflect the contribution of top-down influences on auditory perception. To this end, we postulate that auditory corticofugal systems may contribute to active listening behaviors in which the timing of bottom-up sound cues can be predicted from top-down signals arising from cross-modal cues, temporal integration, or self-initiated movements. Here, we describe a behavioral framework for investigating how auditory perceptual performance is enhanced when subjects can anticipate the timing of upcoming target sounds. Our first paradigm, studied both in human subjects and mice, reports species-specific differences in visually cued expectation of sound onset in a signal-in-noise detection task. A second paradigm performed in mice reveals the benefits of temporal regularity as a perceptual grouping cue when detecting repeating target tones in complex background noise. A final behavioral approach demonstrates significant improvements in frequency discrimination threshold and perceptual sensitivity when auditory targets are presented at a predictable temporal interval following motor self-initiation of the trial. Collectively, these three behavioral approaches identify paradigms to study top-down influences on sound perception that are amenable to head-fixed preparations in genetically tractable animals, where it is possible to monitor and manipulate particular nodes of the descending auditory pathway with unparalleled precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kameron K. Clayton
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Meenakshi M. Asokan
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yurika Watanabe
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kenneth E. Hancock
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Daniel B. Polley
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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28
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Grant RI, Doncheck EM, Vollmer KM, Winston KT, Romanova EV, Siegler PN, Holman H, Bowen CW, Otis JM. Specialized coding patterns among dorsomedial prefrontal neuronal ensembles predict conditioned reward seeking. eLife 2021; 10:65764. [PMID: 34184635 PMCID: PMC8277349 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-overlapping cell populations within dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), defined by gene expression or projection target, control dissociable aspects of reward seeking through unique activity patterns. However, even within these defined cell populations, considerable cell-to-cell variability is found, suggesting that greater resolution is needed to understand information processing in dmPFC. Here, we use two-photon calcium imaging in awake, behaving mice to monitor the activity of dmPFC excitatory neurons throughout Pavlovian reward conditioning. We characterize five unique neuronal ensembles that each encodes specialized information related to a sucrose reward, reward-predictive cues, and behavioral responses to those cues. The ensembles differentially emerge across daily training sessions – and stabilize after learning – in a manner that improves the predictive validity of dmPFC activity dynamics for deciphering variables related to behavioral conditioning. Our results characterize the complex dmPFC neuronal ensemble dynamics that stably predict reward availability and initiation of conditioned reward seeking following cue-reward learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger I Grant
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Elizabeth M Doncheck
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Kelsey M Vollmer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Kion T Winston
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Elizaveta V Romanova
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Preston N Siegler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Heather Holman
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Christopher W Bowen
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - James M Otis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
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29
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Zelenka O, Novak O, Brunova A, Syka J. Heterogeneous associative plasticity in the auditory cortex induced by fear learning - novel insight into the classical conditioning paradigm. Physiol Res 2021; 70:447-460. [PMID: 33982575 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We used two-photon calcium imaging with single-cell and cell-type resolution. Fear conditioning induced heterogeneous tuning shifts at single-cell level in the auditory cortex, with shifts both to CS+ frequency and to the control CS- stimulus frequency. We thus extend the view of simple expansion of CS+ tuned regions. Instead of conventional freezing reactions only, we observe selective orienting responses towards the conditioned stimuli. The orienting responses were often followed by escape behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Zelenka
- Department of Physiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
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30
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Spellman T, Svei M, Kaminsky J, Manzano-Nieves G, Liston C. Prefrontal deep projection neurons enable cognitive flexibility via persistent feedback monitoring. Cell 2021; 184:2750-2766.e17. [PMID: 33861951 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility, the ability to alter strategy according to changing stimulus-response-reward relationships, is critical for updating learned behavior. Attentional set-shifting, a test of cognitive flexibility, depends on the activity of prefrontal cortex (PFC). It remains unclear, however, what role PFC neurons play to support set-shifting. Using optogenetics and two-photon calcium imaging, we demonstrate that medial PFC activity does not bias sensorimotor responses during set-shifting, but rather enables set-shifting by encoding trial feedback information, a role it has been known to play in other contexts. Unexpectedly, the functional properties of PFC cells did not vary with their efferent projection targets. Instead, representations of trial feedback formed a topological gradient, with cells more strongly selective for feedback information located further from the pial surface, where afferent input from the anterior cingulate cortex was denser. These findings identify a critical role for deep PFC projection neurons in enabling set-shifting through behavioral feedback monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Spellman
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
| | - Malka Svei
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Jesse Kaminsky
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Gabriela Manzano-Nieves
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Conor Liston
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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31
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See JZ, Homma NY, Atencio CA, Sohal VS, Schreiner CE. Information diversity in individual auditory cortical neurons is associated with functionally distinct coordinated neuronal ensembles. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4064. [PMID: 33603027 PMCID: PMC7893178 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83565-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal activity in auditory cortex is often highly synchronous between neighboring neurons. Such coordinated activity is thought to be crucial for information processing. We determined the functional properties of coordinated neuronal ensembles (cNEs) within primary auditory cortical (AI) columns relative to the contributing neurons. Nearly half of AI cNEs showed robust spectro-temporal receptive fields whereas the remaining cNEs showed little or no acoustic feature selectivity. cNEs can therefore capture either specific, time-locked information of spectro-temporal stimulus features or reflect stimulus-unspecific, less-time specific processing aspects. By contrast, we show that individual neurons can represent both of those aspects through membership in multiple cNEs with either high or absent feature selectivity. These associations produce functionally heterogeneous spikes identifiable by instantaneous association with different cNEs. This demonstrates that single neuron spike trains can sequentially convey multiple aspects that contribute to cortical processing, including stimulus-specific and unspecific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jermyn Z. See
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 USA ,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of Caliornia, San Francisco, USA
| | - Natsumi Y. Homma
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 USA ,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of Caliornia, San Francisco, USA
| | - Craig A. Atencio
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 USA ,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of Caliornia, San Francisco, USA
| | - Vikaas S. Sohal
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 USA ,grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Christoph E. Schreiner
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 USA ,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of Caliornia, San Francisco, USA
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32
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Tseng HA, Han X. Distinct Spiking Patterns of Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons and LFP Oscillations in Prefrontal Cortex During Sensory Discrimination. Front Physiol 2021; 12:618307. [PMID: 33679434 PMCID: PMC7928411 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.618307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prefrontal cortex (PFC) are broadly linked to various aspects of behavior. During sensory discrimination, PFC neurons can encode a range of task related information, including the identity of sensory stimuli and related behavioral outcome. However, it remains largely unclear how different neuron subtypes and local field potential (LFP) oscillation features in the mouse PFC are modulated during sensory discrimination. To understand how excitatory and inhibitory PFC neurons are selectively engaged during sensory discrimination and how their activity relates to LFP oscillations, we used tetrode recordings to probe well-isolated individual neurons, and LFP oscillations, in mice performing a three-choice auditory discrimination task. We found that a majority of PFC neurons, 78% of the 711 recorded individual neurons, exhibited sensory discrimination related responses that are context and task dependent. Using spike waveforms, we classified these responsive neurons into putative excitatory neurons with broad waveforms or putative inhibitory neurons with narrow waveforms, and found that both neuron subtypes were transiently modulated, with individual neurons' responses peaking throughout the entire duration of the trial. While the number of responsive excitatory neurons remain largely constant throughout the trial, an increasing fraction of inhibitory neurons were gradually recruited as the trial progressed. Further examination of the coherence between individual neurons and LFPs revealed that inhibitory neurons exhibit higher spike-field coherence with LFP oscillations than excitatory neurons during all aspects of the trial and across multiple frequency bands. Together, our results demonstrate that PFC excitatory neurons are continuously engaged during sensory discrimination, whereas PFC inhibitory neurons are increasingly recruited as the trial progresses and preferentially coordinated with LFP oscillations. These results demonstrate increasing involvement of inhibitory neurons in shaping the overall PFC dynamics toward the completion of the sensory discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-an Tseng
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Xue Han
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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33
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Saderi D, Schwartz ZP, Heller CR, Pennington JR, David SV. Dissociation of task engagement and arousal effects in auditory cortex and midbrain. eLife 2021; 10:e60153. [PMID: 33570493 PMCID: PMC7909948 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Both generalized arousal and engagement in a specific task influence sensory neural processing. To isolate effects of these state variables in the auditory system, we recorded single-unit activity from primary auditory cortex (A1) and inferior colliculus (IC) of ferrets during a tone detection task, while monitoring arousal via changes in pupil size. We used a generalized linear model to assess the influence of task engagement and pupil size on sound-evoked activity. In both areas, these two variables affected independent neural populations. Pupil size effects were more prominent in IC, while pupil and task engagement effects were equally likely in A1. Task engagement was correlated with larger pupil; thus, some apparent effects of task engagement should in fact be attributed to fluctuations in pupil size. These results indicate a hierarchy of auditory processing, where generalized arousal enhances activity in midbrain, and effects specific to task engagement become more prominent in cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Saderi
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Zachary P Schwartz
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Charles R Heller
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Jacob R Pennington
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Washington State UniversityVancouverUnited States
| | - Stephen V David
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
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34
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Rook N, Tuff JM, Isparta S, Masseck OA, Herlitze S, Güntürkün O, Pusch R. AAV1 is the optimal viral vector for optogenetic experiments in pigeons (Columba livia). Commun Biol 2021; 4:100. [PMID: 33483632 PMCID: PMC7822860 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01595-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Although optogenetics has revolutionized rodent neuroscience, it is still rarely used in other model organisms as the efficiencies of viral gene transfer differ between species and comprehensive viral transduction studies are rare. However, for comparative research, birds offer valuable model organisms as they have excellent visual and cognitive capabilities. Therefore, the following study establishes optogenetics in pigeons on histological, physiological, and behavioral levels. We show that AAV1 is the most efficient viral vector in various brain regions and leads to extensive anterograde and retrograde ChR2 expression when combined with the CAG promoter. Furthermore, transient optical stimulation of ChR2 expressing cells in the entopallium decreases pigeons' contrast sensitivity during a grayscale discrimination task. This finding demonstrates causal evidence for the involvement of the entopallium in contrast perception as well as a proof of principle for optogenetics in pigeons and provides the groundwork for various other methods that rely on viral gene transfer in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Rook
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - John Michael Tuff
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sevim Isparta
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Şht. Ömer Halisdemir Blv, 06110, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Stefan Herlitze
- Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Roland Pusch
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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35
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Dürschmid S, Reichert C, Hinrichs H, Heinze HJ, Kirsch HE, Knight RT, Deouell LY. Direct Evidence for Prediction Signals in Frontal Cortex Independent of Prediction Error. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:4530-4538. [PMID: 30590422 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predictive coding (PC) has been suggested as one of the main mechanisms used by brains to interact with complex environments. PC theories posit top-down prediction signals, which are compared with actual outcomes, yielding in turn prediction error (PE) signals, which are used, bottom-up, to modify the ensuing predictions. However, disentangling prediction from PE signals has been challenging. Critically, while many studies found indirect evidence for PC in the form of PE signals, direct evidence for the prediction signal is mostly lacking. Here, we provide clear evidence, obtained from intracranial cortical recordings in human surgical patients, that the human lateral prefrontal cortex evinces prediction signals while anticipating an event. Patients listened to task-irrelevant sequences of repetitive tones including infrequent predictable or unpredictable pitch deviants. The broadband high-frequency amplitude (HFA) was decreased prior to the onset of expected relative to unexpected deviants in the frontal cortex only, and its amplitude was sensitive to the increasing likelihood of deviants following longer trains of standards in the unpredictable condition. Single-trial HFA predicted deviations and correlated with poststimulus response to deviations. These results provide direct evidence for frontal cortex prediction signals independent of PE signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Dürschmid
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Reichert
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS-Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hermann Hinrichs
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS-Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Jochen Heinze
- Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, Germany.,Forschungscampus STIMULATE, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg, Germany.,CBBS-Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Heidi E Kirsch
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert T Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Leon Y Deouell
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
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36
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Esmaeili V, Diamond ME. Neuronal Correlates of Tactile Working Memory in Prefrontal and Vibrissal Somatosensory Cortex. Cell Rep 2020; 27:3167-3181.e5. [PMID: 31189103 PMCID: PMC6581739 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tactile working memory engages a broad network of cortical regions in primates. To assess whether the conclusions drawn from primates apply to rodents, we examined the vibrissal primary somatosensory cortex (vS1) and the prelimbic cortex (PL) in a delayed comparison task. Rats compared the speeds of two vibrissal vibrations, stimulus1 and stimulus2, separated by a delay of 2 s. Neuronal firing rates in vS1 and PL encode both stimuli in real time. Across the delay, the stimulus1 representation declines more precipitously in vS1 than in PL. Theta-band local field potential (LFP) coherence between vS1 and PL peaks at trial onset and remains elevated during the interstimulus interval; simultaneously, vS1 spikes become phase locked to PL LFP. Phase locking is stronger on correct (versus error) trials. Tactile working memory in rats appears to be mediated by a posterior (vS1) to anterior (PL) flow of information, with performance facilitated through coherent LFP oscillation. Rats compared the speeds of two sequential vibrissal vibrations, separated by 2 s Neurons in the primary somatosensory (vS1) and prelimbic (PL) cortex coded the stimuli Theta local field potential coherence between vS1 and PL peaked at trial onset Intracortical coherent oscillations may play a role in rat tactile working memory
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Esmaeili
- Tactile Perception and Learning Laboratory, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Mathew E Diamond
- Tactile Perception and Learning Laboratory, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
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37
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Zempeltzi MM, Kisse M, Brunk MGK, Glemser C, Aksit S, Deane KE, Maurya S, Schneider L, Ohl FW, Deliano M, Happel MFK. Task rule and choice are reflected by layer-specific processing in rodent auditory cortical microcircuits. Commun Biol 2020; 3:345. [PMID: 32620808 PMCID: PMC7335110 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary auditory cortex (A1) is an essential, integrative node that encodes the behavioral relevance of acoustic stimuli, predictions, and auditory-guided decision-making. However, the realization of this integration with respect to the cortical microcircuitry is not well understood. Here, we characterize layer-specific, spatiotemporal synaptic population activity with chronic, laminar current source density analysis in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) trained in an auditory decision-making Go/NoGo shuttle-box task. We demonstrate that not only sensory but also task- and choice-related information is represented in the mesoscopic neuronal population code of A1. Based on generalized linear-mixed effect models we found a layer-specific and multiplexed representation of the task rule, action selection, and the animal's behavioral options as accumulating evidence in preparation of correct choices. The findings expand our understanding of how individual layers contribute to the integrative circuit in the sensory cortex in order to code task-relevant information and guide sensory-based decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Kisse
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Claudia Glemser
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sümeyra Aksit
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katrina E Deane
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Shivam Maurya
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lina Schneider
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Frank W Ohl
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University, D-39120, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Max F K Happel
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
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38
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Scott GA, Cai S, Song Y, Liu MC, Greba Q, Howland JG. Task phase-specific involvement of the rat posterior parietal cortex in performance of the TUNL task. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12659. [PMID: 32348610 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) participates in cognitive processes including working memory (WM), sensory evidence accumulation, and perceptually guided decision making. However, surprisingly little work has used temporally precise manipulations to dissect its role in different epochs of behavior taking place over short timespans, such as WM tasks. As a result, a consistent view of the temporally precise role of the PPC in these processes has not been described. In the present study, we investigated the temporally specific role of the PPC in the Trial-Unique, Nonmatching-to-Location (TUNL) task, a touchscreen-based, visuospatial WM task that relies on the PPC. To disrupt PPC activity in a temporally precise manner, we applied mild intracranial electrical stimulation (ICES). We found that intra-PPC ICES (100 μA) significantly impaired accuracy in TUNL without significantly altering response latency. Moreover, we found that the impairment was specific to ICES applied during the delay and test phases of TUNL. Consistent with previous reports showing delay- and choice-specific neuronal activity in the PPC, the results provide evidence that the rat PPC is required for maintaining memory representations of stimuli over a delay period as well as for making successful comparisons and choices between test stimuli. In contrast, the PPC appears not to be critical for initial encoding of sample stimuli. This pattern of results may indicate that early encoding of visual stimuli is independent of the PPC or that the PPC becomes engaged only when visual stimuli are spatially complex or involve memory or decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin A Scott
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Shuang Cai
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Yuanyi Song
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Max C Liu
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Quentin Greba
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Singh A, Patel D, Li A, Hu L, Zhang Q, Liu Y, Guo X, Robinson E, Martinez E, Doan L, Rudy B, Chen ZS, Wang J. Mapping Cortical Integration of Sensory and Affective Pain Pathways. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1703-1715.e5. [PMID: 32220320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pain is an integrated sensory and affective experience. Cortical mechanisms of sensory and affective integration, however, remain poorly defined. Here, we investigate the projection from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), which encodes the sensory pain information, to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a key area for processing pain affect, in freely behaving rats. By using a combination of optogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and machine learning analysis, we find that a subset of neurons in the ACC receives S1 inputs, and activation of the S1 axon terminals increases the response to noxious stimuli in ACC neurons. Chronic pain enhances this cortico-cortical connection, as manifested by an increased number of ACC neurons that respond to S1 inputs and the magnified contribution of these neurons to the nociceptive response in the ACC. Furthermore, modulation of this S1→ACC projection regulates aversive responses to pain. Our results thus define a cortical circuit that plays a potentially important role in integrating sensory and affective pain signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Singh
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Divya Patel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Anna Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lizbeth Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Qiaosheng Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Yaling Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Xinling Guo
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Eric Robinson
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Erik Martinez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lisa Doan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Bernardo Rudy
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zhe S Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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40
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Associations between sounds and actions in primate prefrontal cortex. Brain Res 2020; 1738:146775. [PMID: 32194079 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility allows animals to cope with changing situations, for example, to execute different actions to the same stimulus to achieve specific goals in different situations. The selection of the appropriate action in a given situation hinges on the previously learned associations between stimuli, actions, and outcomes. We showed in our recent study that early auditory cortex of nonhuman primates contributes to the selection of the actions to sounds by representing the associations between sounds and actions. That is, neurons in auditory cortex respond differently to a given sound when it signals different actions that are required to obtain a reward. Here, using the same monkey and the same tasks, we investigated whether the ventrolateral part of prefrontal cortex also represents such audiomotor associations as well as whether and how these representations differ from those in auditory cortex. Mirroring auditory cortex, neuronal responses to a given sound in prefrontal cortex changed with audiomotor associations, and the neuronal responses were largest when the sound signaled a no-go response. These findings suggest that prefrontal cortex also represents audiomotor associations and thus contributes to the selection of the actions to sounds during goal-directed behavior. The neuronal activity related to audiomotor associations started later in prefrontal cortex than in auditory cortex, suggesting that the representations in prefrontal cortex may originate in auditory cortex or in earlier stages of the auditory system.
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41
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Yao PT, Shen J, Chen L, Ge S, Xiong Q. Cortical ensemble activity discriminates auditory attentional states. Mol Brain 2019; 12:80. [PMID: 31623630 PMCID: PMC6798454 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0502-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective attention modulates sensory cortical activity. It remains unclear how auditory cortical activity represents stimuli that differ behaviorally. We designed a cross-modality task in which mice made decisions to obtain rewards based on attended visual or auditory stimuli. We recorded auditory cortical activity in behaving mice attending to, ignoring, or passively hearing auditory stimuli. Engaging in the task bidirectionally modulates neuronal responses to the auditory stimuli in both the attended and ignored conditions compared to passive hearing. Neuronal ensemble activity in response to stimuli under attended, ignored and passive conditions are readily distinguishable. Furthermore, ensemble activity under attended and ignored conditions are in closer states compared to passive condition, and they share a component of attentional modulation which drives them to the same direction in the population activity space. Our findings suggest that the ignored condition is very different from the passive condition, and the auditory cortical sensory processing under ignored, attended and passive conditions are modulated differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan-Tong Yao
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Jia Shen
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Shaoyu Ge
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Qiaojie Xiong
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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42
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Wang C, Xu T, Geng F, Hu Y, Wang Y, Liu H, Chen F. Training on Abacus-Based Mental Calculation Enhances Visuospatial Working Memory in Children. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6439-6448. [PMID: 31209171 PMCID: PMC6697396 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3195-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) involves temporary storage and manipulation of an imaginary abacus closely related to the function of visuospatial working memory (VSWM). The present study thus investigated the effects of AMC training on VSWM and its neural correlates. A total of 144 human subjects (67 boys) were assigned to AMC or control groups at their entry to primary school. The AMC group received 2 h AMC training per week for 5 school years, whereas the control group spent the time in activities, such as conventional calculation and reading. Raven's Intelligence Test was administered both before and after training. Two arithmetic tests and a VSWM task were conducted after training. Among these participants, fMRI data were collected from 64 children for the VSWM task. Behavioral results indicated that the AMC group outperformed controls on both arithmetic and VSWM tasks, but not on Raven's Intelligence Test. While the two groups activated similar regions during the VSWM task, the AMC group showed greater activation than the controls in frontal, parietal, and occipital areas. Interestingly, the activation of right middle frontal gyrus mediated the relation between the arithmetic ability and the VSWM performance in the AMC group, suggesting that the frontal region may be the neural substrate underlying the transfer effect from AMC training to VSWM. Although the transfer effects seem quite limited considering the length and intensity of the training, these findings suggest that long-term AMC training not only improves arithmetic ability but also has a potential positive effect on VSWM.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Plasticity of working memory is one of the most rapidly expanding research fields in the developmental and cognitive sciences. Previous studies suggest that abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) relies on a visuospatial imaginary strategy, which is closely related to visuospatial working memory (VSWM). However, the impacts of AMC training on VSWM and the underlying neural basis remain unclear. Here, we found that AMC training enhanced VSWM in children, which was accompanied by altered activation in frontal, parietal, and occipital areas. Moreover, we observed that activation in right middle frontal gyrus played a significant mediation role in the transfer of AMC training to VSWM. These findings provide a new perspective to VSWM training and also advance our understanding of related brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunjie Wang
- Bio-X Laboratory, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Department of Optical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Tianyong Xu
- Bio-X Laboratory, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Fengji Geng
- Department of Curriculum and Learning Sciences, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yuzheng Hu
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China, and
| | - Yunqi Wang
- School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Huafeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Department of Optical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Feiyan Chen
- Bio-X Laboratory, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China,
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43
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Wang Y, Li Z, Tian Z, Wang X, Li Y, Qin L. Emotional arousal modifies auditory steady state response in the auditory cortex and prefrontal cortex of rats. Stress 2019; 22:492-500. [PMID: 30896270 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1583203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional state has been shown to influence cognitive performance. However, the influence of mood on auditory processing is not fully understood. The auditory steady state response (ASSR) is the entrainment of neural activities elicited by periodic auditory stimulation, which is commonly used to evaluate the sensory and cognitive functions of brain. It has been shown that ASSR at 40 Hz is impaired at some psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the effect of emotional arousal on ASSR. To this end, we performed simultaneous recordings of local field potential (LFP) in response to 40 Hz click-train stimuli in the primary auditory cortex (A1) and medial prefront cortex (mPFC) of rats. During the electrophysiological recording, a negative mood was induced by means of the foot shocks occurred randomly in the inter-stimulus intervals. We found that both the power and phase-locking of ASSR in A1 were significantly increased under arousal condition, and phase-locking of ASSR in mPFC was also increased. The enhanced ASSRs were accompanied by an increase in coherence between A1 and mPFC. Our results suggest that A1-to-mPFC information transfer is enhanced under arousal state and the functional connectivity between mPFC and A1 may contribute to the emotional modulation of auditory process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Wang
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
| | - Zijie Li
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
| | - Zemin Tian
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
| | - Xuejiao Wang
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
| | - Yingzhuo Li
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
| | - Ling Qin
- a Department of Physiology, School of Life Science , China Medical University , Shenyang , Liaoning Province , P. R. China
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44
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Evoked Response Strength in Primary Auditory Cortex Predicts Performance in a Spectro-Spatial Discrimination Task in Rats. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6108-6121. [PMID: 31175214 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0041-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which the primary auditory cortex (A1) participates in instructing animal behavior remains debated. Although multiple studies have shown A1 activity to correlate with animals' perceptual judgments (Jaramillo and Zador, 2011; Bizley et al., 2013; Rodgers and DeWeese, 2014), others have found no relationship between A1 responses and reported auditory percepts (Lemus et al., 2009; Dong et al., 2011). To address this ambiguity, we performed chronic recordings of evoked local field potentials (eLFPs) in A1 of head-fixed female rats performing a two-alternative forced-choice auditory discrimination task. Rats were presented with two interleaved sequences of pure tones from opposite sides and had to indicate the side from which the higher-frequency target stimulus was played. Animal performance closely correlated (r rm = 0.68) with the difference between the target and distractor eLFP responses: the more the target response exceeded the distractor response, the better the animals were at identifying the side of the target frequency. Reducing the evoked response of either frequency through stimulus-specific adaptation affected performance in the expected way: target localization accuracy was degraded when the target frequency was adapted and improved when the distractor frequency was adapted. Target frequency eLFPs were stronger on hit trials than on error trials. Our results suggest that the degree to which one stimulus stands out over others within A1 activity may determine its perceptual saliency for the animals and accordingly bias their behavioral choices.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The brain must continuously calibrate the saliency of sensory percepts against their relevance to the current behavioral goal. The inability to ignore irrelevant distractors characterizes a spectrum of human attentional disorders. Meanwhile, the connection between the neural underpinnings of stimulus saliency and sensory decisions remains elusive. Here, we record local field potentials in the primary auditory cortex of rats engaged in auditory discrimination to investigate how the cortical representation of target and distractor stimuli impacts behavior. We find that the amplitude difference between target- and distractor-evoked activity predicts discrimination performance (r rm = 0.68). Specific adaptation of target or distractor shifts performance either below or above chance, respectively. It appears that recent auditory history profoundly influences stimulus saliency, biasing animals toward diametrically-opposed decisions.
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45
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Huang Y, Heil P, Brosch M. Associations between sounds and actions in early auditory cortex of nonhuman primates. eLife 2019; 8:43281. [PMID: 30946010 PMCID: PMC6467566 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An individual may need to take different actions to the same stimulus in different situations to achieve a given goal. The selection of the appropriate action hinges on the previously learned associations between stimuli, actions, and outcomes in the situations. Here, using a go/no-go paradigm and a symmetrical reward, we show that early auditory cortex of nonhuman primates represents such associations, in both the spiking activity and the local field potentials. Sound-evoked neuronal responses changed with sensorimotor associations shortly after sound onset, and the neuronal responses were largest when the sound signaled that a no-go response was required in a trial to obtain a reward. Our findings suggest that association processes take place in the auditory system and do not necessarily rely on association cortex. Thus, auditory cortex may contribute to a rapid selection of the appropriate motor responses to sounds during goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Huang
- Special Lab Primate Neurobiology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Peter Heil
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department Systems Physiology of Learning, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael Brosch
- Special Lab Primate Neurobiology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
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46
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Lee CCY, Clifford CWG, Arabzadeh E. Temporal cueing enhances neuronal and behavioral discrimination performance in rat whisker system. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:1048-1058. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00604.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Since sensory systems operate with a finite quantity of processing resources, an animal would benefit from prioritizing processing of sensory stimuli within a time window that is expected to provide key information. This behavioral manifestation of such prioritization is known as attention. Here, we investigate attention with temporal cueing and its neuronal correlates in the rat primary vibrissal somatosensory (vS1) cortex. Rats were trained in a simple whisker vibration detection task. A vibration was presented at one of two spatial locations (left or right), sometimes after an unknown time interval and sometimes after receiving an auditory cue. The auditory cue provided temporal but not spatial information about the vibration. We found that for all rats ( n = 6), the auditory cue consistently enhanced detection of the vibration stimulus. Neuronal activity in vS1 cortex reflected the observed behavioral enhancement from temporal cueing with single units responded differentially to the whisker vibration stimulus when it was temporally predicted by the auditory cue, exhibiting an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. Our findings indicate that rats are capable of prioritizing processing within a specified time window and provide evidence that the primary sensory cortex may participate in the temporal allocation of resources. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate a novel paradigm of temporal cueing in rats. In a two-alternative whisker detection task, an auditory cue provided information about the timing of the stimulus but not the correct choice. In the presence of cue, detection was faster and more accurate, and neuronal activity from the primary somatosensory cortex revealed enhanced representation of vibrations. These results thus establish the rat as an alternative model organism to primates for studying temporal attention.
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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, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Colin W. G. Clifford
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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47
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Insanally MN, Carcea I, Field RE, Rodgers CC, DePasquale B, Rajan K, DeWeese MR, Albanna BF, Froemke RC. Spike-timing-dependent ensemble encoding by non-classically responsive cortical neurons. eLife 2019; 8:42409. [PMID: 30688649 PMCID: PMC6391134 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons recorded in behaving animals often do not discernibly respond to sensory input and are not overtly task-modulated. These non-classically responsive neurons are difficult to interpret and are typically neglected from analysis, confounding attempts to connect neural activity to perception and behavior. Here, we describe a trial-by-trial, spike-timing-based algorithm to reveal the coding capacities of these neurons in auditory and frontal cortex of behaving rats. Classically responsive and non-classically responsive cells contained significant information about sensory stimuli and behavioral decisions. Stimulus category was more accurately represented in frontal cortex than auditory cortex, via ensembles of non-classically responsive cells coordinating the behavioral meaning of spike timings on correct but not error trials. This unbiased approach allows the contribution of all recorded neurons – particularly those without obvious task-related, trial-averaged firing rate modulation – to be assessed for behavioral relevance on single trials. Neurons encode information in the form of electrical signals called spikes. Certain neurons increase the rate at which they produce spikes under specific circumstances, e.g., whenever an animal hears a particular sound. These neurons are said to be 'classically responsive'. But not all neurons behave in this way. Others produce spikes at a variable rate that does not obviously relate to the animal's behavior. These neurons are said to be 'non-classically responsive'. They are often omitted from analyses, despite typically outnumbering their classically responsive counterparts. So, what are these neurons doing? To find out, Insanally et al. trained rats to respond to sounds. The animals learned to poke their nose into a window whenever they heard a specific tone, and to avoid responding whenever they heard any other tone. As the rats performed the task, Insanally et al. recorded from neurons in two areas of the brain, the frontal cortex and the auditory cortex. A computer then analyzed the activity of individual neurons during each trial. As expected, the firing rate of non-classically responsive cells did not relate to the animals' behavior. But the timing of this firing did. The interval between spikes contained information about which tone the animals had heard and/or how they had responded. The cells worked together in groups to encode this information. Over the course of each trial, every neuron in the group varied the interval between its spikes. Eventually, the group reached a consensus, with all neurons using the same interval to represent information relevant to the task. Groups of neurons in the frontal cortex encoded more information about the category of the tone than those in the auditory cortex. By including all neurons – both classically and non-classically responsive – this model offers a more comprehensive view of how neural activity relates to behavior. This may in turn help us understand the variable and complex neural activity seen in people with sensory and cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele N Insanally
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States
| | - Ioana Carcea
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States
| | - Rachel E Field
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States
| | - Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Kavli Institute of Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Brian DePasquale
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Kanaka Rajan
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Michael R DeWeese
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Badr F Albanna
- Department of Natural Sciences, Fordham University, New York, United States
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, United States
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48
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de Haan R, Lim J, van der Burg SA, Pieneman AW, Nigade V, Mansvelder HD, de Kock CPJ. Neural Representation of Motor Output, Context and Behavioral Adaptation in Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex During Learned Behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:75. [PMID: 30327591 PMCID: PMC6174330 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Selecting behavioral outputs in a dynamic environment is the outcome of integrating multiple information streams and weighing possible action outcomes with their value. Integration depends on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but how mPFC neurons encode information necessary for appropriate behavioral adaptation is poorly understood. To identify spiking patterns of mPFC during learned behavior, we extracellularly recorded neuronal action potential firing in the mPFC of rats performing a whisker-based "Go"/"No-go" object localization task. First, we identify three functional groups of neurons, which show different degrees of spiking modulation during task performance. One group increased spiking activity during correct "Go" behavior (positively modulated), the second group decreased spiking (negatively modulated) and one group did not change spiking. Second, the relative change in spiking was context-dependent and largest when motor output had contextual value. Third, the negatively modulated population spiked more when rats updated behavior following an error compared to trials without integration of error information. Finally, insufficient spiking in the positively modulated population predicted erroneous behavior under dynamic "No-go" conditions. Thus, mPFC neuronal populations with opposite spike modulation characteristics differentially encode context and behavioral updating and enable flexible integration of error corrections in future actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roel de Haan
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Judith Lim
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sven A van der Burg
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anton W Pieneman
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vinod Nigade
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christiaan P J de Kock
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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49
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Concina G, Cambiaghi M, Renna A, Sacchetti B. Coherent Activity between the Prelimbic and Auditory Cortex in the Slow-Gamma Band Underlies Fear Discrimination. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8313-8328. [PMID: 30093537 PMCID: PMC6596172 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0540-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are essential for discriminating between harmful and safe stimuli. The primary auditory cortex (Te1) sends projections to both sites, but whether and how it interacts with these areas during fear discrimination are poorly understood. Here we show that in male rats that can differentiate between a new tone and a threatening one, the selective optogenetic inhibition of Te1 axon terminals into the prelimbic (PL) cortex shifted discrimination to fear generalization. Meanwhile, no effects were detected when Te1 terminals were inhibited in the BLA. Using a combination of local field potential and multiunit recordings, we show that in animals that discriminate successfully between a new tone and a harmful one, the activity of the Te1 and the PL cortex becomes immediately and tightly synchronized in the slow-gamma range (40-70 Hz) at the onset of the new tone. This enhanced synchronization was not present in other frequency ranges, such as the theta range. Critically, the level of gamma synchrony predicted the behavioral choice (i.e., no freezing or freezing) of the animals. Moreover, in the same rats, gamma synchrony was absent before the fear-learning trial and when animals should discriminate between an olfactory stimulus and the auditory harmful one. Thus, our findings reveal that the Te1 and the PL cortex dynamically establish a functional connection during auditory fear-discrimination processes, and that this corticocortical oscillatory mechanism drives the behavioral choice of the animals.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Identifying neural networks that infer safety versus danger is of great interest in the scientific field. Fear generalization reduces the chances of an animal's survival and leads to psychiatric diseases, such as post-traumatic stress disorders and phobias in humans. Here we demonstrate that animals able to differentiate a new tone from a previous threating tone showed synchronization between the prefrontal and primary auditory cortices. Critically, this connectivity precedes and predicts the behavioral outcome of the animal. Optogenetic inhibition of this functional connectivity leads to fear generalization. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that a corticocortical dialogue occurring between sensory and prefrontal areas is a key node for fear-discrimination processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Concina
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, I-10125 Turin, Italy, and
| | - Marco Cambiaghi
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, I-10125 Turin, Italy, and
| | - Annamaria Renna
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, I-10125 Turin, Italy, and
| | - Benedetto Sacchetti
- Rita Levi-Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, I-10125 Turin, Italy, and
- National Institute of Neuroscience-Turin, I-10125, Turin, Italy
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50
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Abstract
Our ability to make sense of the auditory world results from neural processing that begins in the ear, goes through multiple subcortical areas, and continues in the cortex. The specific contribution of the auditory cortex to this chain of processing is far from understood. Although many of the properties of neurons in the auditory cortex resemble those of subcortical neurons, they show somewhat more complex selectivity for sound features, which is likely to be important for the analysis of natural sounds, such as speech, in real-life listening conditions. Furthermore, recent work has shown that auditory cortical processing is highly context-dependent, integrates auditory inputs with other sensory and motor signals, depends on experience, and is shaped by cognitive demands, such as attention. Thus, in addition to being the locus for more complex sound selectivity, the auditory cortex is increasingly understood to be an integral part of the network of brain regions responsible for prediction, auditory perceptual decision-making, and learning. In this review, we focus on three key areas that are contributing to this understanding: the sound features that are preferentially represented by cortical neurons, the spatial organization of those preferences, and the cognitive roles of the auditory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J King
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Sundeep Teki
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Ben D B Willmore
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK
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