1
|
Melbaum S, Russo E, Eriksson D, Schneider A, Durstewitz D, Brox T, Diester I. Conserved structures of neural activity in sensorimotor cortex of freely moving rats allow cross-subject decoding. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7420. [PMID: 36456557 PMCID: PMC9715555 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35115-6] [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: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Our knowledge about neuronal activity in the sensorimotor cortex relies primarily on stereotyped movements that are strictly controlled in experimental settings. It remains unclear how results can be carried over to less constrained behavior like that of freely moving subjects. Toward this goal, we developed a self-paced behavioral paradigm that encouraged rats to engage in different movement types. We employed bilateral electrophysiological recordings across the entire sensorimotor cortex and simultaneous paw tracking. These techniques revealed behavioral coupling of neurons with lateralization and an anterior-posterior gradient from the premotor to the primary sensory cortex. The structure of population activity patterns was conserved across animals despite the severe under-sampling of the total number of neurons and variations in electrode positions across individuals. We demonstrated cross-subject and cross-session generalization in a decoding task through alignments of low-dimensional neural manifolds, providing evidence of a conserved neuronal code.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Melbaum
- grid.5963.9Computer Vision Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9IMBIT//BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eleonora Russo
- grid.410607.4Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany ,grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - David Eriksson
- grid.5963.9IMBIT//BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Optophysiology Lab, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Artur Schneider
- grid.5963.9IMBIT//BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Optophysiology Lab, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Durstewitz
- grid.7700.00000 0001 2190 4373Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Brox
- grid.5963.9Computer Vision Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9IMBIT//BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ilka Diester
- grid.5963.9IMBIT//BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 201, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Optophysiology Lab, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|