1
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Long X, Deng B, Shen R, Yang L, Chen L, Ran Q, Du X, Zhang SJ. Border cells without theta rhythmicity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321614121. [PMID: 38857401 PMCID: PMC11194599 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321614121] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a key brain structure for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making and goal-directed behavior, many of which require awareness of spatial variables including one's current position within the surrounding environment. Although previous studies have reported spatially tuned activities in mPFC during memory-related trajectory, the spatial tuning of mPFC network during freely foraging behavior remains elusive. Here, we reveal geometric border or border-proximal representations from the neural activity of mPFC ensembles during naturally exploring behavior, with both allocentric and egocentric boundary responses. Unlike most of classical border cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) discharging along a single wall, a large majority of border cells in mPFC fire particularly along four walls. mPFC border cells generate new firing fields to external insert, and remain stable under darkness, across distinct shapes, and in novel environments. In contrast to hippocampal theta entrainment during spatial working memory tasks, mPFC border cells rarely exhibited theta rhythmicity during spontaneous locomotion behavior. These findings reveal spatially modulated activity in mPFC, supporting local computation for cognitive functions involving spatial context and contributing to a broad spatial tuning property of cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Long
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Bin Deng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Rui Shen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Lin Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Liping Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Qingxia Ran
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
| | - Sheng-Jia Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing400037, China
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2
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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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3
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Kim JH, Daie K, Li N. A combinatorial neural code for long-term motor memory. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.05.597627. [PMID: 38895416 PMCID: PMC11185691 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.05.597627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Motor skill repertoire can be stably retained over long periods, but the neural mechanism underlying stable memory storage remains poorly understood. Moreover, it is unknown how existing motor memories are maintained as new motor skills are continuously acquired. Here we tracked neural representation of learned actions throughout a significant portion of a mouse's lifespan, and we show that learned actions are stably retained in motor memory in combination with context, which protects existing memories from erasure during new motor learning. We used automated home-cage training to establish a continual learning paradigm in which mice learned to perform directional licking in different task contexts. We combined this paradigm with chronic two-photon imaging of motor cortex activity for up to 6 months. Within the same task context, activity driving directional licking was stable over time with little representational drift. When learning new task contexts, new preparatory activity emerged to drive the same licking actions. Learning created parallel new motor memories while retaining the previous memories. Re-learning to make the same actions in the previous task context re-activated the previous preparatory activity, even months later. At the same time, continual learning of new task contexts kept creating new preparatory activity patterns. Context-specific memories, as we observed in the motor system, may provide a solution for stable memory storage throughout continual learning. Learning in new contexts produces parallel new representations instead of modifying existing representations, thus protecting existing motor repertoire from erasure.
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4
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Marrero K, Aruljothi K, Delgadillo C, Kabbara S, Swatch L, Zagha E. Goal-Directed Learning is Multidimensional and Accompanied by Diverse and Widespread Changes in Neocortical Signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.02.13.528412. [PMID: 36824924 PMCID: PMC9948952 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.13.528412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
New tasks are often learned in stages with each stage reflecting a different learning challenge. Accordingly, each learning stage is likely mediated by distinct neuronal processes. And yet, most rodent studies of the neuronal correlates of goal-directed learning focus on individual outcome measures and individual brain regions. Here, we longitudinally studied mice from naïve to expert performance in a head-fixed, operant conditioning whisker discrimination task. In addition to tracking the primary behavioral outcome of stimulus discrimination, we tracked and compared an array of object-based and temporal-based behavioral measures. These behavioral analyses identify multiple, partially overlapping learning stages in this task, consistent with initial response implementation, early stimulus-response generalization, and late response inhibition. To begin to understand the neuronal foundations of these learning processes, we performed widefield Ca2+ imaging of dorsal neocortex throughout learning and correlated behavioral measures with neuronal activity. We found distinct and widespread correlations between neocortical activation patterns and various behavioral measures. For example, improvements in sensory discrimination correlated with target stimulus evoked activations of licking-related cortices along with distractor stimulus evoked global cortical suppression. Our study reveals multidimensional learning for a simple goal-directed learning task and generates hypotheses for the neuronal modulations underlying these various learning processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Marrero
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Krithiga Aruljothi
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Christian Delgadillo
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Sarah Kabbara
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Lovleen Swatch
- College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA 92521 USA
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5
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Lazari A, Tachrount M, Valverde JM, Papp D, Beauchamp A, McCarthy P, Ellegood J, Grandjean J, Johansen-Berg H, Zerbi V, Lerch JP, Mars RB. The mouse motor system contains multiple premotor areas and partially follows human organizational principles. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114191. [PMID: 38717901 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114191] [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: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
While humans are known to have several premotor cortical areas, secondary motor cortex (M2) is often considered to be the only higher-order motor area of the mouse brain and is thought to combine properties of various human premotor cortices. Here, we show that axonal tracer, functional connectivity, myelin mapping, gene expression, and optogenetics data contradict this notion. Our analyses reveal three premotor areas in the mouse, anterior-lateral motor cortex (ALM), anterior-lateral M2 (aM2), and posterior-medial M2 (pM2), with distinct structural, functional, and behavioral properties. By using the same techniques across mice and humans, we show that ALM has strikingly similar functional and microstructural properties to human anterior ventral premotor areas and that aM2 and pM2 amalgamate properties of human pre-SMA and cingulate cortex. These results provide evidence for the existence of multiple premotor areas in the mouse and chart a comparative map between the motor systems of humans and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Lazari
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Mohamed Tachrount
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Juan Miguel Valverde
- DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70150 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Daniel Papp
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Antoine Beauchamp
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Paul McCarthy
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joanes Grandjean
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Heidi Johansen-Berg
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Valerio Zerbi
- Neuro-X Institute, School of Engineering (STI), EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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6
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Scaglione A, Resta F, Goretti F, Pavone FS. Group ICA of wide-field calcium imaging data reveals the retrosplenial cortex as a major contributor to cortical activity during anesthesia. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1258793. [PMID: 38799987 PMCID: PMC11116703 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1258793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Large-scale cortical dynamics play a crucial role in many cognitive functions such as goal-directed behaviors, motor learning and sensory processing. It is well established that brain states including wakefulness, sleep, and anesthesia modulate neuronal firing and synchronization both within and across different brain regions. However, how the brain state affects cortical activity at the mesoscale level is less understood. This work aimed to identify the cortical regions engaged in different brain states. To this end, we employed group ICA (Independent Component Analysis) to wide-field imaging recordings of cortical activity in mice during different anesthesia levels and the awake state. Thanks to this approach we identified independent components (ICs) representing elements of the cortical networks that are common across subjects under decreasing levels of anesthesia toward the awake state. We found that ICs related to the retrosplenial cortices exhibited a pronounced dependence on brain state, being most prevalent in deeper anesthesia levels and diminishing during the transition to the awake state. Analyzing the occurrence of the ICs we found that activity in deeper anesthesia states was characterized by a strong correlation between the retrosplenial components and this correlation decreases when transitioning toward wakefulness. Overall these results indicate that during deeper anesthesia states coactivation of the posterior-medial cortices is predominant over other connectivity patterns, whereas a richer repertoire of dynamics is expressed in lighter anesthesia levels and the awake state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Scaglione
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Resta
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council (INO-CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Francesco Goretti
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco S. Pavone
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council (INO-CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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7
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Hasnain MA, Birnbaum JE, Nunez JLU, Hartman EK, Chandrasekaran C, Economo MN. Separating cognitive and motor processes in the behaving mouse. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.23.554474. [PMID: 37662199 PMCID: PMC10473744 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.23.554474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The cognitive processes supporting complex animal behavior are closely associated with ubiquitous movements responsible for our posture, facial expressions, ability to actively sample our sensory environments, and other critical processes. These movements are strongly related to neural activity across much of the brain and are often highly correlated with ongoing cognitive processes, making it challenging to dissociate the neural dynamics that support cognitive processes from those supporting related movements. In such cases, a critical issue is whether cognitive processes are separable from related movements, or if they are driven by common neural mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate how the separability of cognitive and motor processes can be assessed, and, when separable, how the neural dynamics associated with each component can be isolated. We establish a novel two-context behavioral task in mice that involves multiple cognitive processes and show that commonly observed dynamics taken to support cognitive processes are strongly contaminated by movements. When cognitive and motor components are isolated using a novel approach for subspace decomposition, we find that they exhibit distinct dynamical trajectories. Further, properly accounting for movement revealed that largely separate populations of cells encode cognitive and motor variables, in contrast to the 'mixed selectivity' often reported. Accurately isolating the dynamics associated with particular cognitive and motor processes will be essential for developing conceptual and computational models of neural circuit function and evaluating the function of the cell types of which neural circuits are composed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munib A. Hasnain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Jaclyn E. Birnbaum
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | | | - Emma K. Hartman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Chandramouli Chandrasekaran
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
| | - Michael N. Economo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Neurophotonics, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA
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8
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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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9
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Chen S, Liu Y, Wang ZA, Colonell J, Liu LD, Hou H, Tien NW, Wang T, Harris T, Druckmann S, Li N, Svoboda K. Brain-wide neural activity underlying memory-guided movement. Cell 2024; 187:676-691.e16. [PMID: 38306983 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.035] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Behavior relies on activity in structured neural circuits that are distributed across the brain, but most experiments probe neurons in a single area at a time. Using multiple Neuropixels probes, we recorded from multi-regional loops connected to the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM), a circuit node mediating memory-guided directional licking. Neurons encoding sensory stimuli, choices, and actions were distributed across the brain. However, choice coding was concentrated in the ALM and subcortical areas receiving input from the ALM in an ALM-dependent manner. Diverse orofacial movements were encoded in the hindbrain; midbrain; and, to a lesser extent, forebrain. Choice signals were first detected in the ALM and the midbrain, followed by the thalamus and other brain areas. At movement initiation, choice-selective activity collapsed across the brain, followed by new activity patterns driving specific actions. Our experiments provide the foundation for neural circuit models of decision-making and movement initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susu Chen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Colonell
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Liu D Liu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Han Hou
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nai-Wen Tien
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Tim Wang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Timothy Harris
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shaul Druckmann
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
| | - Nuo Li
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA, USA.
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10
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Vafaii H, Mandino F, Desrosiers-Grégoire G, O'Connor D, Markicevic M, Shen X, Ge X, Herman P, Hyder F, Papademetris X, Chakravarty M, Crair MC, Constable RT, Lake EMR, Pessoa L. Multimodal measures of spontaneous brain activity reveal both common and divergent patterns of cortical functional organization. Nat Commun 2024; 15:229. [PMID: 38172111 PMCID: PMC10764905 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44363-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Large-scale functional networks have been characterized in both rodent and human brains, typically by analyzing fMRI-BOLD signals. However, the relationship between fMRI-BOLD and underlying neural activity is complex and incompletely understood, which poses challenges to interpreting network organization obtained using this technique. Additionally, most work has assumed a disjoint functional network organization (i.e., brain regions belong to one and only one network). Here, we employ wide-field Ca2+ imaging simultaneously with fMRI-BOLD in mice expressing GCaMP6f in excitatory neurons. We determine cortical networks discovered by each modality using a mixed-membership algorithm to test the hypothesis that functional networks exhibit overlapping organization. We find that there is considerable network overlap (both modalities) in addition to disjoint organization. Our results show that multiple BOLD networks are detected via Ca2+ signals, and networks determined by low-frequency Ca2+ signals are only modestly more similar to BOLD networks. In addition, the principal gradient of functional connectivity is nearly identical for BOLD and Ca2+ signals. Despite similarities, important differences are also detected across modalities, such as in measures of functional connectivity strength and diversity. In conclusion, Ca2+ imaging uncovers overlapping functional cortical organization in the mouse that reflects several, but not all, properties observed with fMRI-BOLD signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Vafaii
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| | - Francesca Mandino
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Gabriel Desrosiers-Grégoire
- Computional Brain Anatomy Laboratory, Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - David O'Connor
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Marija Markicevic
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Xilin Shen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Xinxin Ge
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Peter Herman
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Fahmeed Hyder
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Xenophon Papademetris
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Section of Biomedical Informatics & Data Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Mallar Chakravarty
- Computional Brain Anatomy Laboratory, Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G4, Canada
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Michael C Crair
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - R Todd Constable
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Evelyn M R Lake
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
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11
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Guzulaitis R, Palmer LM. A thalamocortical pathway controlling impulsive behavior. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:1018-1024. [PMID: 37778915 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Planning and anticipating motor actions enables movements to be quickly and accurately executed. However, if anticipation is not properly controlled, it can lead to premature impulsive actions. Impulsive behavior is defined as actions that are poorly conceived and are often risky and inappropriate. Historically, impulsive behavior was thought to be primarily controlled by the frontal cortex and basal ganglia. More recently, two additional brain regions, the ventromedial (VM) thalamus and the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM), have been shown to have an important role in mice. Here, we explore this newly discovered role of the thalamocortical pathway and suggest cellular mechanisms that may be involved in driving the cortical activity that contributes to impulsive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucy M Palmer
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
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12
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Plitt MH, Kaganovsky K, Südhof TC, Giocomo LM. Hippocampal place code plasticity in CA1 requires postsynaptic membrane fusion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567978. [PMID: 38045362 PMCID: PMC10690209 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Rapid delivery of glutamate receptors to the postsynaptic membrane via vesicle fusion is a central component of synaptic plasticity. However, it is unknown how this process supports specific neural computations during behavior. To bridge this gap, we combined conditional genetic deletion of a component of the postsynaptic membrane fusion machinery, Syntaxin3 (Stx3), in hippocampal CA1 neurons of mice with population in vivo calcium imaging. This approach revealed that Stx3 is necessary for forming the neural dynamics that support novelty processing, spatial reward memory and offline memory consolidation. In contrast, CA1 Stx3 was dispensable for maintaining aspects of the neural code that exist presynaptic to CA1 such as representations of context and space. Thus, manipulating postsynaptic membrane fusion identified computations that specifically require synaptic restructuring via membrane trafficking in CA1 and distinguished them from neural representation that could be inherited from upstream brain regions or learned through other mechanisms.
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13
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Thomas A, Yang W, Wang C, Tipparaju SL, Chen G, Sullivan B, Swiekatowski K, Tatam M, Gerfen C, Li N. Superior colliculus bidirectionally modulates choice activity in frontal cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7358. [PMID: 37963894 PMCID: PMC10645979 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43252-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Action selection occurs through competition between potential choice options. Neural correlates of choice competition are observed across frontal cortex and downstream superior colliculus (SC) during decision-making, yet how these regions interact to mediate choice competition remains unresolved. Here we report that SC can bidirectionally modulate choice competition and drive choice activity in frontal cortex. In the mouse, topographically matched regions of frontal cortex and SC formed a descending motor pathway for directional licking and a re-entrant loop via the thalamus. During decision-making, distinct neuronal populations in both frontal cortex and SC encoded opposing lick directions and exhibited competitive interactions. SC GABAergic neurons encoded ipsilateral choice and locally inhibited glutamatergic neurons that encoded contralateral choice. Activating or suppressing these cell types could bidirectionally drive choice activity in frontal cortex. These results thus identify SC as a major locus to modulate choice competition within the broader action selection network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyse Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Weiguo Yang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Catherine Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Guang Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Brennan Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kylie Swiekatowski
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mahima Tatam
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Charles Gerfen
- Section on Neuroanatomy, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nuo Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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14
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Richman EB, Ticea N, Allen WE, Deisseroth K, Luo L. Neural landscape diffusion resolves conflicts between needs across time. Nature 2023; 623:571-579. [PMID: 37938783 PMCID: PMC10651489 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06715-z] [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: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Animals perform flexible goal-directed behaviours to satisfy their basic physiological needs1-12. However, little is known about how unitary behaviours are chosen under conflicting needs. Here we reveal principles by which the brain resolves such conflicts between needs across time. We developed an experimental paradigm in which a hungry and thirsty mouse is given free choices between equidistant food and water. We found that mice collect need-appropriate rewards by structuring their choices into persistent bouts with stochastic transitions. High-density electrophysiological recordings during this behaviour revealed distributed single neuron and neuronal population correlates of a persistent internal goal state guiding future choices of the mouse. We captured these phenomena with a mathematical model describing a global need state that noisily diffuses across a shifting energy landscape. Model simulations successfully predicted behavioural and neural data, including population neural dynamics before choice transitions and in response to optogenetic thirst stimulation. These results provide a general framework for resolving conflicts between needs across time, rooted in the emergent properties of need-dependent state persistence and noise-driven shifts between behavioural goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan B Richman
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Ticea
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William E Allen
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Society of Fellows, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Liqun Luo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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15
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Zhu J, Hasanbegović H, Liu LD, Gao Z, Li N. Activity map of a cortico-cerebellar loop underlying motor planning. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1916-1928. [PMID: 37814026 PMCID: PMC10620095 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01453-x] [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: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The neocortex and cerebellum interact to mediate cognitive functions. It remains unknown how the two structures organize into functional networks to mediate specific behaviors. Here we delineate activity supporting motor planning in relation to the mesoscale cortico-cerebellar connectome. In mice planning directional licking based on short-term memory, preparatory activity instructing future movement depends on the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) and the cerebellum. Transneuronal tracing revealed divergent and largely open-loop connectivity between the ALM and distributed regions of the cerebellum. A cerebellum-wide survey of neuronal activity revealed enriched preparatory activity in hotspot regions with conjunctive input-output connectivity to the ALM. Perturbation experiments show that the conjunction regions were required for maintaining preparatory activity and correct subsequent movement. Other cerebellar regions contributed little to motor planning despite input or output connectivity to the ALM. These results identify a functional cortico-cerebellar loop and suggest the cerebellar cortex selectively establishes reciprocal cortico-cerebellar communications to orchestrate motor planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Zhu
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Liu D Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhenyu Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Nuo Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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16
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Chia XW, Tan JK, Ang LF, Kamigaki T, Makino H. Emergence of cortical network motifs for short-term memory during learning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6869. [PMID: 37898638 PMCID: PMC10613236 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42609-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning of adaptive behaviors requires the refinement of coordinated activity across multiple brain regions. However, how neural communications develop during learning remains poorly understood. Here, using two-photon calcium imaging, we simultaneously recorded the activity of layer 2/3 excitatory neurons in eight regions of the mouse dorsal cortex during learning of a delayed-response task. Across learning, while global functional connectivity became sparser, there emerged a subnetwork comprising of neurons in the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Neurons in this subnetwork shared a similar choice code during action preparation and formed recurrent functional connectivity across learning. Suppression of PPC activity disrupted choice selectivity in ALM and impaired task performance. Recurrent neural networks reconstructed from ALM activity revealed that PPC-ALM interactions rendered choice-related attractor dynamics more stable. Thus, learning constructs cortical network motifs by recruiting specific inter-areal communication channels to promote efficient and robust sensorimotor transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wei Chia
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Jian Kwang Tan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Lee Fang Ang
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Tsukasa Kamigaki
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Hiroshi Makino
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore.
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17
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Das A, Holden S, Borovicka J, Icardi J, O'Niel A, Chaklai A, Patel D, Patel R, Kaech Petrie S, Raber J, Dana H. Large-scale recording of neuronal activity in freely-moving mice at cellular resolution. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6399. [PMID: 37828016 PMCID: PMC10570384 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42083-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Current methods for recording large-scale neuronal activity from behaving mice at single-cell resolution require either fixing the mouse head under a microscope or attachment of a recording device to the animal's skull. Both of these options significantly affect the animal behavior and hence also the recorded brain activity patterns. Here, we introduce a different method to acquire snapshots of single-cell cortical activity maps from freely-moving mice using a calcium sensor called CaMPARI. CaMPARI has a unique property of irreversibly changing its color from green to red inside active neurons when illuminated with 400 nm light. We capitalize on this property to demonstrate cortex-wide activity recording without any head fixation, tethering, or attachment of a miniaturized device to the mouse's head. Multiple cortical regions were recorded while the mouse was performing a battery of behavioral and cognitive tests. We identified task-dependent activity patterns across motor and somatosensory cortices, with significant differences across sub-regions of the motor cortex and correlations across several activity patterns and task parameters. This CaMPARI-based recording method expands the capabilities of recording neuronal activity from freely-moving and behaving mice under minimally-restrictive experimental conditions and provides large-scale volumetric data that are currently not accessible otherwise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniruddha Das
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Sarah Holden
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Julie Borovicka
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jacob Icardi
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Abigail O'Niel
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Ariel Chaklai
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Davina Patel
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Rushik Patel
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Jacob Raber
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Radiation Medicine, Division of Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Hod Dana
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
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18
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Liu J, Liu D, Pu X, Zou K, Xie T, Li Y, Yao H. The Secondary Motor Cortex-striatum Circuit Contributes to Suppressing Inappropriate Responses in Perceptual Decision Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:1544-1560. [PMID: 37253985 PMCID: PMC10533474 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01073-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The secondary motor cortex (M2) encodes choice-related information and plays an important role in cue-guided actions. M2 neurons innervate the dorsal striatum (DS), which also contributes to decision-making behavior, yet how M2 modulates signals in the DS to influence perceptual decision-making is unclear. Using mice performing a visual Go/No-Go task, we showed that inactivating M2 projections to the DS impaired performance by increasing the false alarm (FA) rate to the reward-irrelevant No-Go stimulus. The choice signal of M2 neurons correlated with behavioral performance, and the inactivation of M2 neurons projecting to the DS reduced the choice signal in the DS. By measuring and manipulating the responses of direct or indirect pathway striatal neurons defined by M2 inputs, we found that the indirect pathway neurons exhibited a shorter response latency to the No-Go stimulus, and inactivating their early responses increased the FA rate. These results demonstrate that the M2-to-DS pathway is crucial for suppressing inappropriate responses in perceptual decision behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- 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
| | - Dechen Liu
- 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
| | - Xiaotian Pu
- 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
| | - Kexin Zou
- 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
| | - Taorong Xie
- 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
| | - Yaping Li
- 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
| | - Haishan Yao
- 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.
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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19
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Pancholi R, Sun-Yan A, Laughton M, Peron S. Sparse and distributed cortical populations mediate sensorimotor integration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.21.558857. [PMID: 37790362 PMCID: PMC10542548 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.21.558857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Touch information is central to sensorimotor integration, yet little is known about how cortical touch and movement representations interact. Touch- and movement-related activity is present in both somatosensory and motor cortices, making both candidate sites for touch-motor interactions. We studied touch-motor interactions in layer 2/3 of the primary vibrissal somatosensory and motor cortices of behaving mice. Volumetric two-photon calcium imaging revealed robust responses to whisker touch, whisking, and licking in both areas. Touch activity was dominated by a sparse population of broadly tuned neurons responsive to multiple whiskers that exhibited longitudinal stability and disproportionately influenced interareal communication. Movement representations were similarly dominated by sparse, stable, reciprocally projecting populations. In both areas, many broadly tuned touch cells also produced robust licking or whisking responses. These touch-licking and touch-whisking neurons showed distinct dynamics suggestive of specific roles in shaping movement. Cortical touch-motor interactions are thus mediated by specialized populations of highly responsive, broadly tuned neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Pancholi
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Pl., Rm. 621, New York, NY 10003
| | - Andrew Sun-Yan
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Pl., Rm. 621, New York, NY 10003
| | - Maya Laughton
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Pl., Rm. 621, New York, NY 10003
| | - Simon Peron
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Pl., Rm. 621, New York, NY 10003
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20
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Wang ZA, Chen S, Liu Y, Liu D, Svoboda K, Li N, Druckmann S. Not everything, not everywhere, not all at once: a study of brain-wide encoding of movement. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.08.544257. [PMID: 37333216 PMCID: PMC10274914 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.08.544257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Activity related to movement is found throughout sensory and motor regions of the brain. However, it remains unclear how movement-related activity is distributed across the brain and whether systematic differences exist between brain areas. Here, we analyzed movement related activity in brain-wide recordings containing more than 50,000 neurons in mice performing a decision-making task. Using multiple techniques, from markers to deep neural networks, we find that movement-related signals were pervasive across the brain, but systematically differed across areas. Movement-related activity was stronger in areas closer to the motor or sensory periphery. Delineating activity in terms of sensory- and motor-related components revealed finer scale structures of their encodings within brain areas. We further identified activity modulation that correlates with decision-making and uninstructed movement. Our work charts out a largescale map of movement encoding and provides a roadmap for dissecting different forms of movement and decision-making related encoding across multi-regional neural circuits.
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21
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Lee C, Côté SL, Raman N, Chaudhary H, Mercado BC, Chen SX. Whole-brain mapping of long-range inputs to the VIP-expressing inhibitory neurons in the primary motor cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1093066. [PMID: 37275468 PMCID: PMC10237295 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1093066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary motor cortex (MOp) is an important site for motor skill learning. Interestingly, neurons in MOp possess reward-related activity, presumably to facilitate reward-based motor learning. While pyramidal neurons (PNs) and different subtypes of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons (INs) in MOp all undergo cell-type specific plastic changes during motor learning, the vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing inhibitory interneurons (VIP-INs) in MOp have been shown to preferentially respond to reward and play a critical role in the early phases of motor learning by triggering local circuit plasticity. To understand how VIP-INs might integrate various streams of information, such as sensory, pre-motor, and reward-related inputs, to regulate local plasticity in MOp, we performed monosynaptic rabies tracing experiments and employed an automated cell counting pipeline to generate a comprehensive map of brain-wide inputs to VIP-INs in MOp. We then compared this input profile to the brain-wide inputs to somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons (SST-INs) and parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons (PV-INs) in MOp. We found that while all cell types received major inputs from sensory, motor, and prefrontal cortical regions, as well as from various thalamic nuclei, VIP-INs received more inputs from the orbital frontal cortex (ORB) - a region associated with reinforcement learning and value predictions. Our findings provide insight on how the brain leverages microcircuit motifs by both integrating and partitioning different streams of long-range input to modulate local circuit activity and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice Lee
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sandrine L. Côté
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nima Raman
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Hritvic Chaudhary
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Bryan C. Mercado
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Simon X. Chen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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22
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Kim CM, Finkelstein A, Chow CC, Svoboda K, Darshan R. Distributing task-related neural activity across a cortical network through task-independent connections. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2851. [PMID: 37202424 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38529-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Task-related neural activity is widespread across populations of neurons during goal-directed behaviors. However, little is known about the synaptic reorganization and circuit mechanisms that lead to broad activity changes. Here we trained a subset of neurons in a spiking network with strong synaptic interactions to reproduce the activity of neurons in the motor cortex during a decision-making task. Task-related activity, resembling the neural data, emerged across the network, even in the untrained neurons. Analysis of trained networks showed that strong untrained synapses, which were independent of the task and determined the dynamical state of the network, mediated the spread of task-related activity. Optogenetic perturbations suggest that the motor cortex is strongly-coupled, supporting the applicability of the mechanism to cortical networks. Our results reveal a cortical mechanism that facilitates distributed representations of task-variables by spreading the activity from a subset of plastic neurons to the entire network through task-independent strong synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Kim
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
| | - Arseny Finkelstein
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carson C Chow
- Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ran Darshan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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23
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Thomas A, Yang W, Wang C, Tipparaju SL, Chen G, Sullivan B, Swiekatowski K, Tatam M, Gerfen C, Li N. Superior colliculus cell types bidirectionally modulate choice activity in frontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.22.537884. [PMID: 37162880 PMCID: PMC10168218 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.22.537884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Action selection occurs through competition between potential choice options. Neural correlates of choice competition are observed across frontal cortex and downstream superior colliculus (SC) during decision-making, yet how these regions interact to mediate choice competition remains unresolved. Here we report that cell types within SC can bidirectionally modulate choice competition and drive choice activity in frontal cortex. In the mouse, topographically matched regions of frontal cortex and SC formed a descending motor pathway for directional licking and a re-entrant loop via the thalamus. During decision-making, distinct neuronal populations in both frontal cortex and SC encoded opposing lick directions and exhibited push-pull dynamics. SC GABAergic neurons encoded ipsilateral choice and glutamatergic neurons encoded contralateral choice, and activating or suppressing these cell types could bidirectionally drive push-pull choice activity in frontal cortex. These results thus identify SC as a major locus to modulate choice competition within the broader action selection network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyse Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Weiguo Yang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Catherine Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | - Guang Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Brennan Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | - Mahima Tatam
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Charles Gerfen
- Section on Neuroanatomy, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Nuo Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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24
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De La Crompe B, Schneck M, Steenbergen F, Schneider A, Diester I. FreiBox: A Versatile Open-Source Behavioral Setup for Investigating the Neuronal Correlates of Behavioral Flexibility via 1-Photon Imaging in Freely Moving Mice. eNeuro 2023; 10:10/4/ENEURO.0469-22.2023. [PMID: 37105720 PMCID: PMC10166259 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0469-22.2023] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
To survive in a complex and changing environment, animals must adapt their behavior. This ability is called behavioral flexibility and is classically evaluated by a reversal learning paradigm. During such a paradigm, the animals adapt their behavior according to a change of the reward contingencies. To study these complex cognitive functions (from outcome evaluation to motor adaptation), we developed a versatile, low-cost, open-source platform, allowing us to investigate the neuronal correlates of behavioral flexibility with 1-photon calcium imaging. This platform consists of FreiBox, a novel low-cost Arduino behavioral setup, as well as further open-source tools, which we developed and integrated into our framework. FreiBox is controlled by a custom Python interface and integrates a new licking sensor (strain gauge lickometer) for controlling spatial licking behavioral tasks. In addition to allowing both discriminative and serial reversal learning, the Arduino can track mouse licking behavior in real time to control task events in a submillisecond timescale. To complete our setup, we also developed and validated an affordable commutator, which is crucial for recording calcium imaging with the Miniscope V4 in freely moving mice. Further, we demonstrated that FreiBox can be associated with 1-photon imaging and other open-source initiatives (e.g., Open Ephys) to form a versatile platform for exploring the neuronal substrates of licking-based behavioral flexibility in mice. The combination of the FreiBox behavioral setup and our low-cost commutator represents a highly competitive and complementary addition to the recently emerging battery of open-source initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice De La Crompe
- Optophysiology-Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Intelligent Machine-Brain Interfacing Technology (IMBIT)-BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Megan Schneck
- Optophysiology-Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Intelligent Machine-Brain Interfacing Technology (IMBIT)-BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Florian Steenbergen
- Optophysiology-Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Intelligent Machine-Brain Interfacing Technology (IMBIT)-BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Artur Schneider
- Optophysiology-Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Intelligent Machine-Brain Interfacing Technology (IMBIT)-BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ilka Diester
- Optophysiology-Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Intelligent Machine-Brain Interfacing Technology (IMBIT)-BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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25
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Mohan H, An X, Xu XH, Kondo H, Zhao S, Matho KS, Wang BS, Musall S, Mitra P, Huang ZJ. Cortical glutamatergic projection neuron types contribute to distinct functional subnetworks. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:481-494. [PMID: 36690901 PMCID: PMC10571488 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01244-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The cellular basis of cerebral cortex functional architecture remains not well understood. A major challenge is to monitor and decipher neural network dynamics across broad cortical areas yet with projection-neuron-type resolution in real time during behavior. Combining genetic targeting and wide-field imaging, we monitored activity dynamics of subcortical-projecting (PTFezf2) and intratelencephalic-projecting (ITPlxnD1) types across dorsal cortex of mice during different brain states and behaviors. ITPlxnD1 and PTFezf2 neurons showed distinct activation patterns during wakeful resting, during spontaneous movements and upon sensory stimulation. Distinct ITPlxnD1 and PTFezf2 subnetworks were dynamically tuned to different sensorimotor components of a naturalistic feeding behavior, and optogenetic inhibition of ITsPlxnD1 and PTsFezf2 in subnetwork nodes disrupted distinct components of this behavior. Lastly, ITPlxnD1 and PTFezf2 projection patterns are consistent with their subnetwork activation patterns. Our results show that, in addition to the concept of columnar organization, dynamic areal and projection-neuron-type specific subnetworks are a key feature of cortical functional architecture linking microcircuit components with global brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemanth Mohan
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Xu An
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - X Hermione Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hideki Kondo
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Shengli Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Bor-Shuen Wang
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Simon Musall
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
- Institute of Biological information Processing, Forschungszentrum Julich, Julich, Germany
| | - Partha Mitra
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Z Josh Huang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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26
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Musall S, Sun XR, Mohan H, An X, Gluf S, Li SJ, Drewes R, Cravo E, Lenzi I, Yin C, Kampa BM, Churchland AK. Pyramidal cell types drive functionally distinct cortical activity patterns during decision-making. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:495-505. [PMID: 36690900 PMCID: PMC9991922 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01245-9] [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: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how cortical circuits generate complex behavior requires investigating the cell types that comprise them. Functional differences across pyramidal neuron (PyN) types have been observed within cortical areas, but it is not known whether these local differences extend throughout the cortex, nor whether additional differences emerge when larger-scale dynamics are considered. We used genetic and retrograde labeling to target pyramidal tract, intratelencephalic and corticostriatal projection neurons and measured their cortex-wide activity. Each PyN type drove unique neural dynamics, both at the local and cortex-wide scales. Cortical activity and optogenetic inactivation during an auditory decision task revealed distinct functional roles. All PyNs in parietal cortex were recruited during perception of the auditory stimulus, but, surprisingly, pyramidal tract neurons had the largest causal role. In frontal cortex, all PyNs were required for accurate choices but showed distinct choice tuning. Our results reveal that rich, cell-type-specific cortical dynamics shape perceptual decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Musall
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Institute for Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Xiaonan R Sun
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Hemanth Mohan
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Xu An
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steven Gluf
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shu-Jing Li
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rhonda Drewes
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emma Cravo
- Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Institute for Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Irene Lenzi
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Institute for Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Chaoqun Yin
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Björn M Kampa
- Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Institute for Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- JARA Brain, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Anne K Churchland
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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27
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Gómez LJ, Dooley JC, Blumberg MS. Activity in developing prefrontal cortex is shaped by sleep and sensory experience. eLife 2023; 12:82103. [PMID: 36745108 PMCID: PMC9901933 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In developing rats, behavioral state exerts a profound modulatory influence on neural activity throughout the sensorimotor system, including primary motor cortex (M1). We hypothesized that similar state-dependent modulation occurs in prefrontal cortical areas with which M1 forms functional connections. Here, using 8- and 12-day-old rats cycling freely between sleep and wake, we record neural activity in M1, secondary motor cortex (M2), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). At both ages in all three areas, neural activity increased during active sleep (AS) compared with wake. Also, regardless of behavioral state, neural activity in all three areas increased during periods when limbs were moving. The movement-related activity in M2 and mPFC, like that in M1, is driven by sensory feedback. Our results, which diverge from those of previous studies using anesthetized pups, demonstrate that AS-dependent modulation and sensory responsivity extend to prefrontal cortex. These findings expand the range of possible factors shaping the activity-dependent development of higher-order cortical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lex J Gómez
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - James C Dooley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
| | - Mark S Blumberg
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.,DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States.,Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States
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28
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Liang M, Chen G, Xi Z, Qian H, Shang Q, Gao B, An R, Shao G, Wang Z, Wang J, Xiao J, Li T, Liu X. The roles of K +-dependent Na +/Ca 2+ exchanger 2 (NCKX2) in methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference in mice. Neurosci Lett 2023; 792:136952. [PMID: 36336087 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136952] [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: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction, including methamphetamine (METH) addiction, is a significant public health and social issue. Perturbations in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis are associated with drug addiction. K+-dependent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger 2 (NCKX2) is located on neuronal cell membranes and constitutes a Ca2+ clearance mechanism, with key roles in synaptic plasticity. NCKX2 is associated with motor learning, memory, and cognitive functions. However, the role of NCKX2 in METH addiction remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression levels of NCKX2 in four addiction-related brain regions: the prefrontal cortex (PFc), nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (DS), and hippocampus (Hip) in a C57/BL6 mouse model of METH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and behavioral sensitization. Levels of NCKX2 were unchanged in these brain regions in mice with METH-induced CPP but were decreased in the PFc and NAc of mice with METH-induced behavioral sensitization. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated overexpression of NCKX2 in the PFc attenuated the expression phase of METH-induced behavioral sensitization in mice, whereas AAV-mediated knockdown of NCKX2 enhanced the effects of METH. Collectively, our results suggest that NCKX2 is involved in METH-induced behavioral sensitization but does not affect conditioned reward-related memory, highlighting the potential of NCKX2 as a molecular target for studying the mechanisms underscoring METH addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gang Chen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhijia Xi
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hongyan Qian
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qing Shang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Baoyao Gao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ran An
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gaojie Shao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhirong Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Xiao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Tao Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xinshe Liu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China; Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bioevidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, People's Republic of China.
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29
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Henschke JU, Pakan JMP. Engaging distributed cortical and cerebellar networks through motor execution, observation, and imagery. Front Syst Neurosci 2023; 17:1165307. [PMID: 37114187 PMCID: PMC10126249 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2023.1165307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
When we interact with the environment around us, we are sometimes active participants, making directed physical motor movements and other times only mentally engaging with our environment, taking in sensory information and internally planning our next move without directed physical movement. Traditionally, cortical motor regions and key subcortical structures such as the cerebellum have been tightly linked to motor initiation, coordination, and directed motor behavior. However, recent neuroimaging studies have noted the activation of the cerebellum and wider cortical networks specifically during various forms of motor processing, including the observations of actions and mental rehearsal of movements through motor imagery. This phenomenon of cognitive engagement of traditional motor networks raises the question of how these brain regions are involved in the initiation of movement without physical motor output. Here, we will review evidence for distributed brain network activation during motor execution, observation, and imagery in human neuroimaging studies as well as the potential for cerebellar involvement specifically in motor-related cognition. Converging evidence suggests that a common global brain network is involved in both movement execution and motor observation or imagery, with specific task-dependent shifts in these global activation patterns. We will further discuss underlying cross-species anatomical support for these cognitive motor-related functions as well as the role of cerebrocerebellar communication during action observation and motor imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia U. Henschke
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Janelle M. P. Pakan
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Universitätsplatz, Magdeburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Janelle M. P. Pakan,
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30
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Yamada S, Wang Y, Monai H. Transcranial cortex-wide Ca 2+ imaging for the functional mapping of cortical dynamics. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1119793. [PMID: 36875638 PMCID: PMC9975744 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1119793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Visualization and tracking of the information flow in the broader brain area are essential because nerve cells make a vast network in the brain. Fluorescence Ca2+ imaging is a simultaneous visualization of brain cell activities in a wide area. Instead of classical chemical indicators, developing various types of transgenic animals that express Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent proteins enables us to observe brain activities in living animals at a larger scale for a long time. Multiple kinds of literature have reported that transcranial imaging of such transgenic animals is practical for monitoring the wide-field information flow across the broad brain regions, although it has a lower spatial resolution. Notably, this technique is helpful for the initial evaluation of cortical function in disease models. This review will introduce fully intact transcranial macroscopic imaging and cortex-wide Ca2+ imaging as practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serika Yamada
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yan Wang
- Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiromu Monai
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
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31
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Guzulaitis R, Godenzini L, Palmer LM. Neural basis of anticipation and premature impulsive action in the frontal cortex. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1683-1692. [PMID: 36376483 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01198-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Planning motor actions can improve behavioral performance; however, it can also lead to premature actions. Although the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) is known to be important for correct motor planning, it is currently unknown how it contributes to premature impulsive motor output. This was addressed using whole-cell voltage recordings from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons within the ALM while mice performed a cued sensory association task. Here, a robust voltage response was evoked during the auditory cue, which was greater during incorrect premature behavior than during correct performance in the task. Optogenetically suppressing ALM during the cued sensory association task led to enhanced behavior, with fewer, and more delayed, premature responses and faster correct responses. Taken together, our findings extend the current known roles of the ALM, illustrating that ALM plays an important role in impulsive behavior by encoding and influencing premature motor output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robertas Guzulaitis
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. .,The Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Luca Godenzini
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lucy Maree Palmer
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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32
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Peters AJ, Marica AM, Fabre JMJ, Harris KD, Carandini M. Visuomotor learning promotes visually evoked activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111487. [PMID: 36261004 PMCID: PMC9631115 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is necessary for executing many learned associations between stimuli and movement. It is unclear, however, how activity in the mPFC evolves across learning, and how this activity correlates with sensory stimuli and the learned movements they evoke. To address these questions, we record cortical activity with widefield calcium imaging while mice learned to associate a visual stimulus with a forelimb movement. After learning, the mPFC shows stimulus-evoked activity both during task performance and during passive viewing, when the stimulus evokes no action. This stimulus-evoked activity closely tracks behavioral performance across training, with both exhibiting a marked increase between days when mice first learn the task, followed by a steady increase with further training. Electrophysiological recordings localized this activity to the secondary motor and anterior cingulate cortex. We conclude that learning a visuomotor task promotes a route for visual information to reach the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Peters
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Julie M J Fabre
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kenneth D Harris
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK.
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33
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Transition of distinct context-dependent ensembles from secondary to primary motor cortex in skilled motor performance. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111494. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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34
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Cai Y, Wu J, Dai Q. Review on data analysis methods for mesoscale neural imaging in vivo. NEUROPHOTONICS 2022; 9:041407. [PMID: 35450225 PMCID: PMC9010663 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.9.4.041407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Mesoscale neural imaging in vivo has gained extreme popularity in neuroscience for its capacity of recording large-scale neurons in action. Optical imaging with single-cell resolution and millimeter-level field of view in vivo has been providing an accumulated database of neuron-behavior correspondence. Meanwhile, optical detection of neuron signals is easily contaminated by noises, background, crosstalk, and motion artifacts, while neural-level signal processing and network-level coordinate are extremely complicated, leading to laborious and challenging signal processing demands. The existing data analysis procedure remains unstandardized, which could be daunting to neophytes or neuroscientists without computational background. Aim: We hope to provide a general data analysis pipeline of mesoscale neural imaging shared between imaging modalities and systems. Approach: We divide the pipeline into two main stages. The first stage focuses on extracting high-fidelity neural responses at single-cell level from raw images, including motion registration, image denoising, neuron segmentation, and signal extraction. The second stage focuses on data mining, including neural functional mapping, clustering, and brain-wide network deduction. Results: Here, we introduce the general pipeline of processing the mesoscale neural images. We explain the principles of these procedures and compare different approaches and their application scopes with detailed discussions about the shortcomings and remaining challenges. Conclusions: There are great challenges and opportunities brought by the large-scale mesoscale data, such as the balance between fidelity and efficiency, increasing computational load, and neural network interpretability. We believe that global circuits on single-neuron level will be more extensively explored in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeyi Cai
- Tsinghua University, Department of Automation, Beijing, China
| | - Jiamin Wu
- Tsinghua University, Department of Automation, Beijing, China
| | - Qionghai Dai
- Tsinghua University, Department of Automation, Beijing, China
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35
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Kadmon Harpaz N, Hardcastle K, Ölveczky BP. Learning-induced changes in the neural circuits underlying motor sequence execution. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 76:102624. [PMID: 36030613 PMCID: PMC11125547 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
As the old adage goes: practice makes perfect. Yet, the neural mechanisms by which rote repetition transforms a halting behavior into a fluid, effortless, and "automatic" action are not well understood. Here we consider the possibility that well-practiced motor sequences, which initially rely on higher-level decision-making circuits, become wholly specified in lower-level control circuits. We review studies informing this idea, discuss the constraints on such shift in control, and suggest approaches to pinpoint circuit-level changes associated with motor sequence learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naama Kadmon Harpaz
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University. https://twitter.com/@NKadmonHarpaz
| | - Kiah Hardcastle
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University. https://twitter.com/@kiahhardcastle
| | - Bence P Ölveczky
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University.
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36
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Yang W, Tipparaju SL, Chen G, Li N. Thalamus-driven functional populations in frontal cortex support decision-making. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1339-1352. [PMID: 36171427 PMCID: PMC9534763 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01171-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in frontal cortex exhibit diverse selectivity representing sensory, motor and cognitive variables during decision-making. The neural circuit basis for this complex selectivity remains unclear. We examined activity mediating a tactile decision in mouse anterior lateral motor cortex in relation to the underlying circuits. Contrary to the notion of randomly mixed selectivity, an analysis of 20,000 neurons revealed organized activity coding behavior. Individual neurons exhibited prototypical response profiles that were repeatable across mice. Stimulus, choice and action were coded nonrandomly by distinct neuronal populations that could be delineated by their response profiles. We related distinct selectivity to long-range inputs from somatosensory cortex, contralateral anterior lateral motor cortex and thalamus. Each input connects to all functional populations but with differing strength. Task selectivity was more strongly dependent on thalamic inputs than cortico-cortical inputs. Our results suggest that the thalamus drives subnetworks within frontal cortex coding distinct features of decision-making. Frontal cortex contains a complex mixture of signals reflecting distinct behavioral and cognitive processes. An analysis of 20,000 neurons during decision-making revealed distinct functional clusters and their activities are driven by the thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiguo Yang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Guang Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nuo Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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37
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Moroni M, Brondi M, Fellin T, Panzeri S. SmaRT2P: a software for generating and processing smart line recording trajectories for population two-photon calcium imaging. Brain Inform 2022; 9:18. [PMID: 35927517 PMCID: PMC9352634 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-022-00166-4] [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: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Two-photon fluorescence calcium imaging allows recording the activity of large neural populations with subcellular spatial resolution, but it is typically characterized by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and poor accuracy in detecting single or few action potentials when large number of neurons are imaged. We recently showed that implementing a smart line scanning approach using trajectories that optimally sample the regions of interest increases both the SNR fluorescence signals and the accuracy of single spike detection in population imaging in vivo. However, smart line scanning requires highly specialised software to design recording trajectories, interface with acquisition hardware, and efficiently process acquired data. Furthermore, smart line scanning needs optimized strategies to cope with movement artefacts and neuropil contamination. Here, we develop and validate SmaRT2P, an open-source, user-friendly and easy-to-interface Matlab-based software environment to perform optimized smart line scanning in two-photon calcium imaging experiments. SmaRT2P is designed to interface with popular acquisition software (e.g., ScanImage) and implements novel strategies to detect motion artefacts, estimate neuropil contamination, and minimize their impact on functional signals extracted from neuronal population imaging. SmaRT2P is structured in a modular way to allow flexibility in the processing pipeline, requiring minimal user intervention in parameter setting. The use of SmaRT2P for smart line scanning has the potential to facilitate the functional investigation of large neuronal populations with increased SNR and accuracy in detecting the discharge of single and few action potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Moroni
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, UniTn, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 38068, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Marco Brondi
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences-UNIPD, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, 35121, Padua, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), Università Degli Studi Di Padova, 35129, Padua, Italy
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, UniTn, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 38068, Rovereto, Italy. .,Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
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38
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Inagaki HK, Chen S, Daie K, Finkelstein A, Fontolan L, Romani S, Svoboda K. Neural Algorithms and Circuits for Motor Planning. Annu Rev Neurosci 2022; 45:249-271. [PMID: 35316610 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-092021-121730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The brain plans and executes volitional movements. The underlying patterns of neural population activity have been explored in the context of movements of the eyes, limbs, tongue, and head in nonhuman primates and rodents. How do networks of neurons produce the slow neural dynamics that prepare specific movements and the fast dynamics that ultimately initiate these movements? Recent work exploits rapid and calibrated perturbations of neural activity to test specific dynamical systems models that are capable of producing the observed neural activity. These joint experimental and computational studies show that cortical dynamics during motor planning reflect fixed points of neural activity (attractors). Subcortical control signals reshape and move attractors over multiple timescales, causing commitment to specific actions and rapid transitions to movement execution. Experiments in rodents are beginning to reveal how these algorithms are implemented at the level of brain-wide neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susu Chen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Kayvon Daie
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.,Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Arseny Finkelstein
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
| | - Lorenzo Fontolan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Sandro Romani
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.,Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, Washington, USA;
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39
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Currie SP, Ammer JJ, Premchand B, Dacre J, Wu Y, Eleftheriou C, Colligan M, Clarke T, Mitchell L, Faisal AA, Hennig MH, Duguid I. Movement-specific signaling is differentially distributed across motor cortex layer 5 projection neuron classes. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110801. [PMID: 35545038 PMCID: PMC9620742 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor cortex generates descending output necessary for executing a wide range of limb movements. Although movement-related activity has been described throughout motor cortex, the spatiotemporal organization of movement-specific signaling in deep layers remains largely unknown. Here we record layer 5B population dynamics in the caudal forelimb area of motor cortex while mice perform a forelimb push/pull task and find that most neurons show movement-invariant responses, with a minority displaying movement specificity. Using cell-type-specific imaging, we identify that invariant responses dominate pyramidal tract (PT) neuron activity, with a small subpopulation representing movement type, whereas a larger proportion of intratelencephalic (IT) neurons display movement-type-specific signaling. The proportion of IT neurons decoding movement-type peaks prior to movement initiation, whereas for PT neurons, this occurs during movement execution. Our data suggest that layer 5B population dynamics largely reflect movement-invariant signaling, with information related to movement-type being routed through relatively small, distributed subpopulations of projection neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Currie
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Julian J Ammer
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Brian Premchand
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Joshua Dacre
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Yufei Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Constantinos Eleftheriou
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Matt Colligan
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Thomas Clarke
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Leah Mitchell
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - A Aldo Faisal
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Matthias H Hennig
- Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
| | - Ian Duguid
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
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40
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Xu D, Dong M, Chen Y, Delgado AM, Hughes NC, Zhang L, O'Connor DH. Cortical processing of flexible and context-dependent sensorimotor sequences. Nature 2022; 603:464-469. [PMID: 35264793 PMCID: PMC9109820 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04478-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The brain generates complex sequences of movements that can be flexibly configured based on behavioural context or real-time sensory feedback1, but how this occurs is not fully understood. Here we developed a 'sequence licking' task in which mice directed their tongue to a target that moved through a series of locations. Mice could rapidly branch the sequence online based on tactile feedback. Closed-loop optogenetics and electrophysiology revealed that the tongue and jaw regions of the primary somatosensory (S1TJ) and motor (M1TJ) cortices2 encoded and controlled tongue kinematics at the level of individual licks. By contrast, the tongue 'premotor' (anterolateral motor) cortex3-10 encoded latent variables including intended lick angle, sequence identity and progress towards the reward that marked successful sequence execution. Movement-nonspecific sequence branching signals occurred in the anterolateral motor cortex and M1TJ. Our results reveal a set of key cortical areas for flexible and context-informed sequence generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Xu
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mingyuan Dong
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yuxi Chen
- Undergraduate Studies, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Angel M Delgado
- Undergraduate Studies, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Natasha C Hughes
- Undergraduate Studies, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Linghua Zhang
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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41
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Investigation of Neural Substrates of Erroneous Behavior in a Delayed-Response Task. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0490-21.2022. [PMID: 35365501 PMCID: PMC9007410 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0490-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor cortical neurons exhibit persistent selective activities (selectivity) during motor planning. Experimental perturbation of selectivity results in the failure of short-term memory retention and consequent behavioral biases, demonstrating selectivity as a neural characteristic of encoding previous sensory input or future action. However, even without experimental manipulation, animals occasionally fail to maintain short-term memory leading to erroneous choice. Here, we investigated neural substrates that lead to the incorrect formation of selectivity during short-term memory. We analyzed neuronal activities in anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) of mice, a region known to be engaged in motor planning while mice performed the tactile delayed-response task. We found that highly selective neurons lost their selectivity while originally nonselective neurons showed selectivity during the error trials where mice licked toward incorrect direction. We assumed that those alternations would reflect changes in intrinsic properties of population activity. Thus, we estimated an intrinsic manifold shared by neuronal population (shared space), using factor analysis (FA) and measured the association of individual neurons with the shared space by communality, the variance of neuronal activity accounted for by the shared space. We found a positive correlation between selectivity and communality over ALM neurons, which disappeared in erroneous behavior. Notably, neurons showing selectivity alternations between correct and incorrect licking also underwent proportional changes in communality. Our results demonstrated that the extent to which an ALM neuron is associated with the intrinsic manifolds of population activity may elucidate its selectivity and that disruption of this association may alter selectivity, likely leading to erroneous behavior.
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42
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Chevée M, Finkel EA, Kim SJ, O’Connor DH, Brown SP. Neural activity in the mouse claustrum in a cross-modal sensory selection task. Neuron 2022; 110:486-501.e7. [PMID: 34863367 PMCID: PMC8829966 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The claustrum, a subcortical nucleus forming extensive connections with the neocortex, has been implicated in sensory selection. Sensory-evoked claustrum activity is thought to modulate the neocortex's context-dependent response to sensory input. Recording from claustrum neurons while mice performed a tactile-visual sensory-selection task, we found that neurons in the anterior claustrum, including putative optotagged claustrocortical neurons projecting to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), were rarely modulated by sensory input. Rather, they exhibited different types of direction-tuned motor responses. Furthermore, we found that claustrum neurons encoded upcoming movement during intertrial intervals and that pairs of claustrum neurons exhibiting synchronous firing were enriched for pairs preferring contralateral lick directions, suggesting that the activity of specific ensembles of similarly tuned claustrum neurons may modulate cortical activity. Chemogenetic inhibition of claustrocortical neurons decreased lick responses to inappropriate sensory stimuli. Altogether, our data indicate that the claustrum is integrated into higher-order premotor circuits recently implicated in decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Chevée
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA.,Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Eric A. Finkel
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Su-Jeong Kim
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Daniel H. O’Connor
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA.,Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA.,Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Solange P. Brown
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA.,Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA.,Lead contact,Correspondence:
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43
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Fan W, Sullivan SJ, Sdrulla AD. Dorsal Column and Root Stimulation at Aβ-fiber Intensity Activate Superficial Dorsal Horn Glutamatergic and GABAergic Populations. Mol Pain 2022; 18:17448069221079559. [PMID: 35088625 PMCID: PMC8891844 DOI: 10.1177/17448069221079559] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurostimulation therapies are frequently used in patients with chronic pain conditions. They emerged from Gate Control Theory (GCT), which posits that Aβ-fiber activation recruits superficial dorsal horn (SDH) inhibitory networks to “close the gate” on nociceptive transmission, resulting in pain relief. However, the efficacy of current therapies is limited, and the underlying circuits remain poorly understood. For example, it remains unknown whether ongoing stimulation of Aβ-fibers is sufficient to drive activity in SDH neurons. We used multiphoton microscopy in spinal cords extracted from mice expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6s in glutamatergic and GABAergic populations; activity levels were inferred from deconvolved calcium signals using CaImAn software. Sustained Aβ-fiber stimulation at the dorsal columns or dorsal roots drove robust yet transient activation of both SDH populations. Following the initial increase, activity levels decreased below baseline in glutamatergic neurons and were depressed after stimulation ceased in both populations. Surprisingly, only about half of GABAergic neurons responded to Aβ-fiber stimulation. This subset showed elevated activity for the entire duration of stimulation, while non-responders decreased with time. Our findings suggest that Aβ-fiber stimulation initially recruits both excitatory and inhibitory populations but has divergent effects on their activity, providing a foundation for understanding the analgesic effects of neurostimulation devices. Perspective: This article used microscopy to characterize the responses of mouse spinal cord cells to stimulation of non-painful nerve fibers. These findings deepen our understanding of how the spinal cord processes information and provide a foundation for improving pain-relieving therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Fan
- Anesthesiology and Pain Management6684Oregon Health & Science University
| | - Steve J Sullivan
- Anesthesiology and Pain Management6684Oregon Health & Science University
| | - Andrei D Sdrulla
- Anesthesiology and Pain Management6684Oregon Health & Science University
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44
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Metastable attractors explain the variable timing of stable behavioral action sequences. Neuron 2022; 110:139-153.e9. [PMID: 34717794 PMCID: PMC9194601 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The timing of self-initiated actions shows large variability even when they are executed in stable, well-learned sequences. Could this mix of reliability and stochasticity arise within the same neural circuit? We trained rats to perform a stereotyped sequence of self-initiated actions and recorded neural ensemble activity in secondary motor cortex (M2), which is known to reflect trial-by-trial action-timing fluctuations. Using hidden Markov models, we established a dictionary between activity patterns and actions. We then showed that metastable attractors, representing activity patterns with a reliable sequential structure and large transition timing variability, could be produced by reciprocally coupling a high-dimensional recurrent network and a low-dimensional feedforward one. Transitions between attractors relied on correlated variability in this mesoscale feedback loop, predicting a specific structure of low-dimensional correlations that were empirically verified in M2 recordings. Our results suggest a novel mesoscale network motif based on correlated variability supporting naturalistic animal behavior.
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45
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Nano PR, Nguyen CV, Mil J, Bhaduri A. Cortical Cartography: Mapping Arealization Using Single-Cell Omics Technology. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:788560. [PMID: 34955761 PMCID: PMC8707733 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.788560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebral cortex derives its cognitive power from a modular network of specialized areas processing a multitude of information. The assembly and organization of these regions is vital for human behavior and perception, as evidenced by the prevalence of area-specific phenotypes that manifest in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Generations of scientists have examined the architecture of the human cortex, but efforts to capture the gene networks which drive arealization have been hampered by the lack of tractable models of human neurodevelopment. Advancements in "omics" technologies, imaging, and computational power have enabled exciting breakthroughs into the molecular and structural characteristics of cortical areas, including transcriptomic, epigenomic, metabolomic, and proteomic profiles of mammalian models. Here we review the single-omics atlases that have shaped our current understanding of cortical areas, and their potential to fuel a new era of multi-omic single-cell endeavors to interrogate both the developing and adult human cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Aparna Bhaduri
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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46
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Zhang CL, Koukouli F, Allegra M, Ortiz C, Kao HL, Maskos U, Changeux JP, Schmidt-Hieber C. Inhibitory control of synaptic signals preceding locomotion in mouse frontal cortex. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110035. [PMID: 34818555 PMCID: PMC8640223 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontal cortex is essential for organizing voluntary movement. The secondary motor cortex (MOs) is a frontal subregion thought to integrate internal and external inputs before motor action. However, how excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to MOs neurons are integrated preceding movement remains unclear. Here, we address this question by performing in vivo whole-cell recordings from MOs neurons of head-fixed mice moving on a treadmill. We find that principal neurons produce slowly increasing membrane potential and spike ramps preceding spontaneous running. After goal-directed training, ramps show larger amplitudes and accelerated kinetics. Chemogenetic suppression of interneurons combined with modeling suggests that the interplay between parvalbumin-positive (PV+) and somatostatin-positive (SOM+) interneurons, along with principal neuron recurrent connectivity, shape ramping signals. Plasticity of excitatory synapses on SOM+ interneurons can explain the ramp acceleration after training. Altogether, our data reveal that local interneurons differentially control task-dependent ramping signals when MOs neurons integrate inputs preceding movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Lei Zhang
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Neural Circuits for Spatial Navigation and Memory, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Fani Koukouli
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 3571, Integrative Neurobiology of Cholinergic Systems, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute-ICM, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Manuela Allegra
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Neural Circuits for Spatial Navigation and Memory, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Cantin Ortiz
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Neural Circuits for Spatial Navigation and Memory, 75015 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Hsin-Lun Kao
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Neural Circuits for Spatial Navigation and Memory, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Uwe Maskos
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 3571, Integrative Neurobiology of Cholinergic Systems, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Changeux
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Department of Neuroscience, 75015 Paris, France; Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Christoph Schmidt-Hieber
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Neural Circuits for Spatial Navigation and Memory, 75015 Paris, France.
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47
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West SL, Aronson JD, Popa LS, Feller KD, Carter RE, Chiesl WM, Gerhart ML, Shekhar AC, Ghanbari L, Kodandaramaiah SB, Ebner TJ. Wide-Field Calcium Imaging of Dynamic Cortical Networks during Locomotion. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2668-2687. [PMID: 34689209 PMCID: PMC9201596 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor behavior results in complex exchanges of motor and sensory information across cortical regions. Therefore, fully understanding the cerebral cortex’s role in motor behavior requires a mesoscopic-level description of the cortical regions engaged, their functional interactions, and how these functional interactions change with behavioral state. Mesoscopic Ca2+ imaging through transparent polymer skulls in mice reveals elevated activation of the dorsal cerebral cortex during locomotion. Using the correlations between the time series of Ca2+ fluorescence from 28 regions (nodes) obtained using spatial independent component analysis (sICA), we examined the changes in functional connectivity of the cortex from rest to locomotion with a goal of understanding the changes to the cortical functional state that facilitate locomotion. Both the transitions from rest to locomotion and from locomotion to rest show marked increases in correlation among most nodes. However, once a steady state of continued locomotion is reached, many nodes, including primary motor and somatosensory nodes, show decreases in correlations, while retrosplenial and the most anterior nodes of the secondary motor cortex show increases. These results highlight the changes in functional connectivity in the cerebral cortex, representing a series of changes in the cortical state from rest to locomotion and on return to rest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L West
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Justin D Aronson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Laurentiu S Popa
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kathryn D Feller
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.,Union College Biological Sciences Department, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA
| | - Russell E Carter
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - William M Chiesl
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Morgan L Gerhart
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Aditya C Shekhar
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Leila Ghanbari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Suhasa B Kodandaramaiah
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Timothy J Ebner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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48
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Zatka-Haas P, Steinmetz NA, Carandini M, Harris KD. Sensory coding and the causal impact of mouse cortex in a visual decision. eLife 2021; 10:e63163. [PMID: 34328419 PMCID: PMC8324299 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Correlates of sensory stimuli and motor actions are found in multiple cortical areas, but such correlates do not indicate whether these areas are causally relevant to task performance. We trained mice to discriminate visual contrast and report their decision by steering a wheel. Widefield calcium imaging and Neuropixels recordings in cortex revealed stimulus-related activity in visual (VIS) and frontal (MOs) areas, and widespread movement-related activity across the whole dorsal cortex. Optogenetic inactivation biased choices only when targeted at VIS and MOs,proportionally to each site's encoding of the visual stimulus, and at times corresponding to peak stimulus decoding. A neurometric model based on summing and subtracting activity in VIS and MOs successfully described behavioral performance and predicted the effect of optogenetic inactivation. Thus, sensory signals localized in visual and frontal cortex play a causal role in task performance, while widespread dorsal cortical signals correlating with movement reflect processes that do not play a causal role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Zatka-Haas
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Nicholas A Steinmetz
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Kenneth D Harris
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Takahashi N, Moberg S, Zolnik TA, Catanese J, Sachdev RNS, Larkum ME, Jaeger D. Thalamic input to motor cortex facilitates goal-directed action initiation. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4148-4155.e4. [PMID: 34302741 PMCID: PMC8478854 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Prompt execution of planned motor action is essential for survival. The interactions between frontal cortical circuits and the basal ganglia are central to goal-oriented action selection and initiation.1-4 In rodents, the ventromedial thalamic nucleus (VM) is one of the critical nodes that conveys the output of the basal ganglia to the frontal cortical areas including the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM).5-9 Recent studies showed the critical role of ALM and its interplay with the motor thalamus in preparing sensory-cued rewarded movements, specifically licking.10-12 Work in primates suggests that the basal ganglia output to the motor thalamus transmits an urgency or vigor signal,13-15 which leads to shortened reaction times and faster movement initiation. As yet, little is known about what signals are transmitted from the motor thalamus to the cortex during cued movements and how these signals contribute to movement initiation. In the present study, we employed a tactile-cued licking task in mice while monitoring reaction times of the initial lick. We found that inactivation of ALM delayed the initiation of cued licking. Two-photon Ca2+ imaging of VM axons revealed that the majority of the axon terminals in ALM were transiently active during licking. Their activity was predictive of the time of the first lick. Chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulation of VM axons in ALM indicated that VM inputs facilitate the initiation of cue-triggered and impulsive licking in trained mice. Our results suggest that VM thalamocortical inputs increase the probability and vigor of initiating planned motor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Takahashi
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sara Moberg
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Timothy A Zolnik
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julien Catanese
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Robert N S Sachdev
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew E Larkum
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dieter Jaeger
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Visual stimulation with blue wavelength light drives V1 effectively eliminating stray light contamination during two-photon calcium imaging. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 362:109287. [PMID: 34256082 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain visual circuits are often studied in vivo by imaging Ca2+ indicators with green-shifted emission spectra. Polychromatic white visual stimuli have a spectrum that partially overlaps indicators´ emission spectra, resulting in significant contamination of calcium signals. NEW METHOD To overcome light contamination problems we choose blue visual stimuli, having a spectral composition not overlapping with Ca2+ indicator´s emission spectrum. To compare visual responsiveness to blue and white stimuli we used electrophysiology (visual evoked potentials -VEPs) and 3D acousto-optic two-photon (2P) population Ca2+ imaging in mouse primary visual cortex (V1). RESULTS VEPs in response to blue and white stimuli had comparable peak amplitudes and latencies. Ca2+ imaging in a Thy1 GP4.3 line revealed that the populations of neurons responding to blue and white stimuli were largely overlapping, that their responses had similar amplitudes, and that functional response properties such as orientation and direction selectivities were also comparable. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Masking or shielding the microscope are often used to minimize the contamination of Ca2+ signal by white light, but they are time consuming, bulky and thus can limit experimental design, particularly in the more and more frequently used awake set-up. Blue stimuli not interfering with imaging allow to omit shielding. CONCLUSIONS Together, our results show that the selected blue light stimuli evoke responses comparable to those evoked by white stimuli in mouse V1. This will make complex designs of imaging experiments in behavioral set-ups easier, and facilitate the combination of Ca2+ imaging with electrophysiology and optogenetics.
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