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Ramos T, Ramos J, Pais-Vieira C, Pais-Vieira M. Fronto-Central Changes in Multiple Frequency Bands in Active Tactile Width Discrimination Task. Brain Sci 2024; 14:915. [PMID: 39335410 PMCID: PMC11429623 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14090915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2024] [Revised: 09/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The neural basis of tactile processing in humans has been extensively studied; however, the neurophysiological basis of human width discrimination remains relatively unexplored. In particular, the changes that occur in neural networks underlying active tactile width discrimination learning have yet to be described. Here, it is hypothesized that subjects learning to perform the active version of the width discrimination task would present changes in behavioral data and in the neurophysiological activity, specifically in networks of electrodes relevant for tactile and motor processing. The specific hypotheses tested here were that the performance and response latency of subjects would change between the first and the second blocks; the power of the different frequency bands would change between the first and the second blocks; electrode F4 would encode task performance and response latency through changes in the power of the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and low-gamma frequency bands; the relative power in the alpha and beta frequency bands in electrodes C3 and C4 (Interhemispheric Spectral Difference-ISD) would change because of learning between the first and the second blocks. To test this hypothesis, we recorded and analyzed electroencephalographic (EEG) activity while subjects performed a session where they were tested twice (i.e., two different blocks) in an active tactile width discrimination task using their right index finger. Subjects (n = 18) presented high performances (high discrimination accuracy) already in their first block, and therefore no significant improvements were found in the second block. Meanwhile, a reduction in response latency was observed between the two blocks. EEG recordings revealed an increase in power for the low-gamma frequency band (30-45 Hz) for electrodes F3 and C3 from the first to the second block. This change was correlated with neither performance nor latency. Analysis of the neural activity in electrode F4 revealed that the beta frequency band encoded the subjects' performance. Meanwhile, the delta frequency band in the same electrode revealed a complex pattern where blocks appeared clustered in two different patterns: an Upper Pattern (UP), where power and latency were highly correlated (Rho = 0.950), and a sparser and more uncorrelated Lower Pattern (LP). Blocks belonging to the UP or LP patterns did not differ in performance and were not specific to the first or the second block. However, blocks belonging to the LP presented an increase in response latency, increased variability in performance, and an increased ISD in alpha and beta frequency bands for the pair of electrodes C3-C4, suggesting that the LP may reflect a state related to increased cognitive load or task difficulty. These results suggest that changes in performance and latency in an active tactile width discrimination task are encoded in the delta, alpha, beta, and low-gamma frequency bands in a fronto-central network. The main contribution of this study is therefore related to the description of neural dynamics in frontal and central networks involved in the learning process of active tactile width discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Ramos
- iBiMED—Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; (T.R.); (J.R.)
| | - Júlia Ramos
- iBiMED—Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; (T.R.); (J.R.)
| | - Carla Pais-Vieira
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde e Enfermagem, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- iBiMED—Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; (T.R.); (J.R.)
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Kaneko M, Hoseini MS, Waschek JA, Stryker MP. Stimulus-specific enhancement in mouse visual cortex requires GABA but not VIP-peptide release from VIP interneurons. J Neurophysiol 2024; 132:34-44. [PMID: 38774975 PMCID: PMC11383382 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00463.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
When adult mice are repeatedly exposed to a particular visual stimulus for as little as 1 h per day for several days while their visual cortex (V1) is in the high-gain state produced by locomotion, that specific stimulus elicits much stronger responses in V1 neurons for the following several weeks, even when measured in anesthetized animals. Such stimulus-specific enhancement (SSE) is not seen if locomotion is prevented. The effect of locomotion on cortical responses is mediated by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) positive interneurons, which can release both the peptide and the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Previous studies have examined the role of VIP-ergic interneurons, but none have distinguished the individual roles of peptide from GABA release. Here, we used genetic ablation to determine which of those molecules secreted by VIP-ergic neurons is responsible for SSE. SSE was not impaired by VIP deletion but was prevented by compromising release of GABA from VIP cells. This finding suggests that SSE may result from Hebbian mechanisms that remain present in adult V1.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Many neurons package and release a peptide along with a conventional neurotransmitter. The conventional view is that such peptides exert late, slow effects on plasticity. We studied a form of cortical plasticity that depends on the activity of neurons that express both vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. GABA release accounted for their action on plasticity, with no effect of deleting the peptide on this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megumi Kaneko
- Department of Physiology and Kavli Institute For Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
| | - Mahmood S Hoseini
- Department of Physiology and Kavli Institute For Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
| | - James A Waschek
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Michael P Stryker
- Department of Physiology and Kavli Institute For Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
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Parajuli A, Gutnisky D, Tandon N, Dragoi V. Endogenous fluctuations in cortical state selectively enhance different modes of sensory processing in human temporal lobe. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5591. [PMID: 37696880 PMCID: PMC10495466 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41406-3] [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: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The degree of synchronized fluctuations in neocortical network activity can vary widely during alertness. One influential idea that has emerged over the past few decades is that perceptual decisions are more accurate when the state of population activity is desynchronized. This suggests that optimal task performance may occur during a particular cortical state - the desynchronized state. Here we show that, contrary to this view, cortical state can both facilitate and suppress perceptual performance in a task-dependent manner. We performed electrical recordings from surface-implanted grid electrodes in the temporal lobe while human subjects completed two perceptual tasks. We found that when local population activity is in a synchronized state, network and perceptual performance are enhanced in a detection task and impaired in a discrimination task, but these modulatory effects are reversed when population activity is desynchronized. These findings indicate that the brain has adapted to take advantage of endogenous fluctuations in the state of neural populations in temporal cortex to selectively enhance different modes of sensory processing during perception in a state-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Parajuli
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Diego Gutnisky
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Nitin Tandon
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Valentin Dragoi
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
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Pais-Roldán P, Yun SD, Palomero-Gallagher N, Shah NJ. Cortical depth-dependent human fMRI of resting-state networks using EPIK. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1151544. [PMID: 37274214 PMCID: PMC10232833 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1151544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Recent laminar-fMRI studies have substantially improved understanding of the evoked cortical responses in multiple sub-systems; in contrast, the laminar component of resting-state networks spread over the whole brain has been less studied due to technical limitations. Animal research strongly suggests that the supragranular layers of the cortex play a critical role in maintaining communication within the default mode network (DMN); however, whether this is true in this and other human cortical networks remains unclear. Methods Here, we used EPIK, which offers unprecedented coverage at sub-millimeter resolution, to investigate cortical broad resting-state dynamics with depth specificity in healthy volunteers. Results Our results suggest that human DMN connectivity is primarily supported by intermediate and superficial layers of the cortex, and furthermore, the preferred cortical depth used for communication can vary from one network to another. In addition, the laminar connectivity profile of some networks showed a tendency to change upon engagement in a motor task. In line with these connectivity changes, we observed that the amplitude of the low-frequency-fluctuations (ALFF), as well as the regional homogeneity (ReHo), exhibited a different laminar slope when subjects were either performing a task or were in a resting state (less variation among laminae, i.e., lower slope, during task performance compared to rest). Discussion The identification of varied laminar profiles concerning network connectivity, ALFF, and ReHo, observed across two brain states (task vs. rest) has major implications for the characterization of network-related diseases and suggests the potential diagnostic value of laminar fMRI in psychiatric disorders, e.g., to differentiate the cortical dynamics associated with disease stages linked, or not linked, to behavioral changes. The evaluation of laminar-fMRI across the brain encompasses computational challenges; nonetheless, it enables the investigation of a new dimension of the human neocortex, which may be key to understanding neurological disorders from a novel perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Pais-Roldán
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Seong Dae Yun
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 1, Structural and Functional Organisation of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- C. and O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - N. Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 11, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- JARA–BRAIN–Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Pais-Vieira C, Allahdad MK, Perrotta A, Peres AS, Kunicki C, Aguiar M, Oliveira M, Pais-Vieira M. Neurophysiological correlates of tactile width discrimination in humans. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1155102. [PMID: 37250697 PMCID: PMC10213448 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1155102] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tactile information processing requires the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents, but not in humans. Methods Here, we describe Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in humans performing a tactile width discrimination task. The first goal of this study was to describe changes in neural activity occurring during the discrimination and the response periods. The second goal was to relate specific changes in neural activity to the performance in the task. Results Comparison of changes in power between two different periods of the task, corresponding to the discrimination of the tactile stimulus and the motor response, revealed the engagement of an asymmetrical network associated with fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital electrodes and across multiple frequency bands. Analysis of ratios of higher [Ratio 1: (0.5-20 Hz)/(0.5-45 Hz)] or lower frequencies [Ratio 2: (0.5-4.5 Hz)/(0.5-9 Hz)], during the discrimination period revealed that activity recorded from frontal-parietal electrodes was correlated to tactile width discrimination performance between-subjects, independently of task difficulty. Meanwhile, the dynamics in parieto-occipital electrodes were correlated to the changes in performance within-subjects (i.e., between the first and the second blocks) independently of task difficulty. In addition, analysis of information transfer, using Granger causality, further demonstrated that improvements in performance between blocks were characterized by an overall reduction in information transfer to the ipsilateral parietal electrode (P4) and an increase in information transfer to the contralateral parietal electrode (P3). Discussion The main finding of this study is that fronto-parietal electrodes encoded between-subjects' performances while parieto-occipital electrodes encoded within-subjects' performances, supporting the notion that tactile width discrimination processing is associated with a complex asymmetrical network involving fronto-parieto-occipital electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mehrab K. Allahdad
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - André Perrotta
- Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra (CISUC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - André S. Peres
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carolina Kunicki
- Vasco da Gama Research Center (CIVG), Vasco da Gama University School (EUVG), Coimbra, Portugal
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Aguiar
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Manuel Oliveira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Vandevelde JR, Yang JW, Albrecht S, Lam H, Kaufmann P, Luhmann HJ, Stüttgen MC. Layer- and cell-type-specific differences in neural activity in mouse barrel cortex during a whisker detection task. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1361-1382. [PMID: 35417918 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac141] [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: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To address the question which neocortical layers and cell types are important for the perception of a sensory stimulus, we performed multielectrode recordings in the barrel cortex of head-fixed mice performing a single-whisker go/no-go detection task with vibrotactile stimuli of differing intensities. We found that behavioral detection probability decreased gradually over the course of each session, which was well explained by a signal detection theory-based model that posits stable psychometric sensitivity and a variable decision criterion updated after each reinforcement, reflecting decreasing motivation. Analysis of multiunit activity demonstrated highest neurometric sensitivity in layer 4, which was achieved within only 30 ms after stimulus onset. At the level of single neurons, we observed substantial heterogeneity of neurometric sensitivity within and across layers, ranging from nonresponsiveness to approaching or even exceeding psychometric sensitivity. In all cortical layers, putative inhibitory interneurons on average proffered higher neurometric sensitivity than putative excitatory neurons. In infragranular layers, neurons increasing firing rate in response to stimulation featured higher sensitivities than neurons decreasing firing rate. Offline machine-learning-based analysis of videos of behavioral sessions showed that mice performed better when not moving, which at the neuronal level, was reflected by increased stimulus-evoked firing rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens R Vandevelde
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jenq-Wei Yang
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Steffen Albrecht
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Henry Lam
- Computational Intelligence, Faculty of Law, Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Paul Kaufmann
- Computational Intelligence, Faculty of Law, Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Heiko J Luhmann
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Maik C Stüttgen
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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7
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Martinetti LE, Bonekamp KE, Autio DM, Kim HH, Crandall SR. Short-Term Facilitation of Long-Range Corticocortical Synapses Revealed by Selective Optical Stimulation. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1932-1949. [PMID: 34519352 PMCID: PMC9070351 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Short-term plasticity regulates the strength of central synapses as a function of previous activity. In the neocortex, direct synaptic interactions between areas play a central role in cognitive function, but the activity-dependent regulation of these long-range corticocortical connections and their impact on a postsynaptic target neuron is unclear. Here, we use an optogenetic strategy to study the connections between mouse primary somatosensory and motor cortex. We found that short-term facilitation was strong in both corticocortical synapses, resulting in far more sustained responses than local intracortical and thalamocortical connections. A major difference between pathways was that the synaptic strength and magnitude of facilitation were distinct for individual excitatory cells located across all cortical layers and specific subtypes of GABAergic neurons. Facilitation was dependent on the presynaptic calcium sensor synaptotagmin-7 and altered by several optogenetic approaches. Current-clamp recordings revealed that during repetitive activation, the short-term dynamics of corticocortical synapses enhanced the excitability of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, increasing the probability of spiking with activity. Furthermore, the properties of the connections linking primary with secondary somatosensory cortex resemble those between somatosensory-motor areas. These short-term changes in transmission properties suggest long-range corticocortical synapses are specialized for conveying information over relatively extended periods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dawn M Autio
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Hye-Hyun Kim
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Rodgers CC, Nogueira R, Pil BC, Greeman EA, Park JM, Hong YK, Fusi S, Bruno RM. Sensorimotor strategies and neuronal representations for shape discrimination. Neuron 2021; 109:2308-2325.e10. [PMID: 34133944 PMCID: PMC8298290 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Humans and other animals can identify objects by active touch, requiring the coordination of exploratory motion and tactile sensation. Both the motor strategies and neural representations employed could depend on the subject's goals. We developed a shape discrimination task that challenged head-fixed mice to discriminate concave from convex shapes. Behavioral decoding revealed that mice did this by comparing contacts across whiskers. In contrast, a separate group of mice performing a shape detection task simply summed up contacts over whiskers. We recorded populations of neurons in the barrel cortex, which processes whisker input, and found that individual neurons across the cortical layers encoded touch, whisker motion, and task-related signals. Sensory representations were task-specific: during shape discrimination, but not detection, neurons responded most to behaviorally relevant whiskers, overriding somatotopy. Thus, sensory cortex employs task-specific representations compatible with behaviorally relevant computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris C Rodgers
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Ramon Nogueira
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - B Christina Pil
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Esther A Greeman
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Jung M Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Y Kate Hong
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Stefano Fusi
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Randy M Bruno
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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Brown J, Oldenburg IA, Telian GI, Griffin S, Voges M, Jain V, Adesnik H. Spatial integration during active tactile sensation drives orientation perception. Neuron 2021; 109:1707-1720.e7. [PMID: 33826906 PMCID: PMC8944414 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Active haptic sensation is critical for object identification, but its neural circuit basis is poorly understood. We combined optogenetics, two-photon imaging, and high-speed behavioral tracking in mice solving a whisker-based object orientation discrimination task. We found that orientation discrimination required animals to summate input from multiple whiskers specifically along the whisker arc. Animals discriminated the orientation of the stimulus per se as their performance was invariant to the location of the presented stimulus. Populations of barrel cortex neurons summated across whiskers to encode each orientation. Finally, acute optogenetic inactivation of the barrel cortex and cell-type-specific optogenetic suppression of layer 4 excitatory neurons degraded performance, implying that infragranular layers alone are not sufficient to solve the task. These data suggest that spatial summation over an active haptic array generates representations of an object's orientation, which may facilitate encoding of complex three-dimensional objects during active exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Brown
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ian Antón Oldenburg
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gregory I Telian
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sandon Griffin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Mieke Voges
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Vedant Jain
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Hillel Adesnik
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Sharma K, Gordon GRJ, Tran CHT. Heterogeneity of Sensory-Induced Astrocytic Ca 2+ Dynamics During Functional Hyperemia. Front Physiol 2020; 11:611884. [PMID: 33362585 PMCID: PMC7758506 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.611884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytic Ca2+ fluctuations associated with functional hyperemia have typically been measured from large cellular compartments such as the soma, the whole arbor and the endfoot. The most prominent Ca2+ event is a large magnitude, delayed signal that follows vasodilation. However, previous work has provided little information about the spatio-temporal properties of such Ca2+ transients or their heterogeneity. Here, using an awake, in vivo two-photon fluorescence-imaging model, we performed detailed profiling of delayed astrocytic Ca2+ signals across astrocytes or within individual astrocyte compartments using small regions of interest next to penetrating arterioles and capillaries along with vasomotor responses to vibrissae stimulation. We demonstrated that while a 5-s air puff that stimulates all whiskers predominantly generated reproducible functional hyperemia in the presence or absence of astrocytic Ca2+ changes, whisker stimulation inconsistently produced astrocytic Ca2+ responses. More importantly, these Ca2+ responses were heterogeneous among subcellular structures of the astrocyte and across different astrocytes that resided within the same field of view. Furthermore, we found that whisker stimulation induced discrete Ca2+ “hot spots” that spread regionally within the endfoot. These data reveal that astrocytic Ca2+ dynamics associated with the microvasculature are more complex than previously thought, and highlight the importance of considering the heterogeneity of astrocytic Ca2+ activity to fully understanding neurovascular coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kushal Sharma
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Signaling in the Cardiovascular System, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Grant R J Gordon
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Cam Ha T Tran
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Signaling in the Cardiovascular System, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, United States
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11
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Dikecligil GN, Graham DM, Park IM, Fontanini A. Layer- and Cell Type-Specific Response Properties of Gustatory Cortex Neurons in Awake Mice. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9676-9691. [PMID: 33172981 PMCID: PMC7726536 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1579-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in visual, auditory, and somatosensory cortices have revealed that different cell types as well as neurons located in different laminae display distinct stimulus response profiles. The extent to which these layer and cell type-specific distinctions generalize to gustatory cortex (GC) remains unknown. In this study, we performed extracellular recordings in adult female mice to monitor the activity of putative pyramidal and inhibitory neurons located in deep and superficial layers of GC. Awake, head-restrained mice were trained to lick different tastants (sucrose, salt, citric acid, quinine, and water) from a lick spout. We found that deep layer neurons show higher baseline firing rates (FRs) in GC with deep-layer inhibitory neurons displaying highest FRs at baseline and following the stimulus. GC's activity shows robust modulations before animals' contact with tastants, and this phenomenon is most prevalent in deep-layer inhibitory neurons. Furthermore, we show that licking activity strongly shapes the spiking pattern of GC pyramidal neurons, eliciting phase-locked spiking across trials and tastants. We demonstrate that there is a greater percentage of taste-coding neurons in deep versus superficial layers with chemosensitive neurons across all categories showing similar breadth of tuning, but different decoding performance. Lastly, we provide evidence for functional convergence in GC, with neurons that can show prestimulus activity, licking-related rhythmicity and taste responses. Overall, our results demonstrate that baseline and stimulus-evoked firing profiles of GC neurons and their processing schemes change as a function of cortical layer and cell type in awake mice.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory cortical areas show a laminar structure, with each layer composed of distinct cell types embedded in different circuits. While studies in other primary sensory areas have elucidated that pyramidal and inhibitory neurons belonging to distinct layers show distinct response properties, whether and how response properties of gustatory cortex (GC) neurons change as a function of their laminar position and cell type remains uninvestigated. Here, we show that there are several notable differences in baseline, prestimulus, and stimulus-evoked response profiles of pyramidal and inhibitory neurons belonging to deep and superficial layers of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulce Nazli Dikecligil
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Dustin M Graham
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Il Memming Park
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Alfredo Fontanini
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
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12
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Torres D, Makarova J, Ortuño T, Benito N, Makarov VA, Herreras O. Local and Volume-Conducted Contributions to Cortical Field Potentials. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:5234-5254. [PMID: 30941394 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain field potentials (FPs) can reach far from their sources, making difficult to know which waves come from where. We show that modern algorithms efficiently segregate the local and remote contributions to cortical FPs by recovering the generator-specific spatial voltage profiles. We investigated experimentally and numerically the local and remote origin of FPs in different cortical areas in anesthetized rats. All cortices examined show significant state, layer, and region dependent contribution of remote activity, while the voltage profiles help identify their subcortical or remote cortical origin. Co-activation of different cortical modules can be discriminated by the distinctive spatial features of the corresponding profiles. All frequency bands contain remote activity, thus influencing the FP time course, in cases drastically. The reach of different FP patterns is boosted by spatial coherence and curved geometry of the sources. For instance, slow cortical oscillations reached the entire brain, while hippocampal theta reached only some portions of the cortex. In anterior cortices, most alpha oscillations have a remote origin, while in the visual cortex the remote theta and gamma even surpass the local contribution. The quantitative approach to local and distant FP contributions helps to refine functional connectivity among cortical regions, and their relation to behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Torres
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute - CSIC, Av. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julia Makarova
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute - CSIC, Av. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tania Ortuño
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute - CSIC, Av. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Benito
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute - CSIC, Av. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain
| | - Valeri A Makarov
- Instituto de Matemática Interdisciplinar, Faculty of Mathematics, Universidad, Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,N.I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Oscar Herreras
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute - CSIC, Av. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain
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13
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Tang Q, Tsytsarev V, Yan F, Wang C, Erzurumlu RS, Chen Y. In vivo voltage-sensitive dye imaging of mouse cortical activity with mesoscopic optical tomography. NEUROPHOTONICS 2020; 7:041402. [PMID: 33274250 PMCID: PMC7708784 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.7.4.041402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Cellular layering is a hallmark of the mammalian neocortex with layer and cell type-specific connections within the cortical mantle and subcortical connections. A key challenge in studying circuit function within the neocortex is to understand the spatial and temporal patterns of information flow between different columns and layers. Aim: We aimed to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) layer- and area-specific interactions in mouse cortex in vivo. Approach: We applied a new promising neuroimaging method-fluorescence laminar optical tomography in combination with voltage-sensitive dye imaging (VSDi). VSDi is a powerful technique for interrogating membrane potential dynamics in assemblies of cortical neurons, but it is traditionally used for two-dimensional (2D) imaging. Our mesoscopic technique allows visualization of neuronal activity in a 3D manner with high temporal resolution. Results: We first demonstrated the depth-resolved capability of 3D mesoscopic imaging technology in Thy1-ChR2-YFP transgenic mice. Next, we recorded the long-range functional projections between sensory cortex (S1) and motor cortex (M1) in mice, in vivo, following single whisker deflection. Conclusions: The results show that mesoscopic imaging technique has the potential to investigate the layer-specific neural connectivity in the mouse cortex in vivo. Combination of mesoscopic imaging technique with optogenetic control strategy is a promising platform for determining depth-resolved interactions between cortical circuit elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinggong Tang
- University of Oklahoma, Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
- University of Maryland, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, College Park, Maryland, United States
- Address all correspondence to Qinggong Tang, ; Reha S. Erzurumlu, ; Yu Chen,
| | - Vassiliy Tsytsarev
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Feng Yan
- University of Oklahoma, Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
| | - Chen Wang
- University of Oklahoma, Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
| | - Reha S. Erzurumlu
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Address all correspondence to Qinggong Tang, ; Reha S. Erzurumlu, ; Yu Chen,
| | - Yu Chen
- University of Maryland, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, College Park, Maryland, United States
- University of Massachusetts, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- Address all correspondence to Qinggong Tang, ; Reha S. Erzurumlu, ; Yu Chen,
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14
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Staiger JF, Petersen CCH. Neuronal Circuits in Barrel Cortex for Whisker Sensory Perception. Physiol Rev 2020; 101:353-415. [PMID: 32816652 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The array of whiskers on the snout provides rodents with tactile sensory information relating to the size, shape and texture of objects in their immediate environment. Rodents can use their whiskers to detect stimuli, distinguish textures, locate objects and navigate. Important aspects of whisker sensation are thought to result from neuronal computations in the whisker somatosensory cortex (wS1). Each whisker is individually represented in the somatotopic map of wS1 by an anatomical unit named a 'barrel' (hence also called barrel cortex). This allows precise investigation of sensory processing in the context of a well-defined map. Here, we first review the signaling pathways from the whiskers to wS1, and then discuss current understanding of the various types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons present within wS1. Different classes of cells can be defined according to anatomical, electrophysiological and molecular features. The synaptic connectivity of neurons within local wS1 microcircuits, as well as their long-range interactions and the impact of neuromodulators, are beginning to be understood. Recent technological progress has allowed cell-type-specific connectivity to be related to cell-type-specific activity during whisker-related behaviors. An important goal for future research is to obtain a causal and mechanistic understanding of how selected aspects of tactile sensory information are processed by specific types of neurons in the synaptically connected neuronal networks of wS1 and signaled to downstream brain areas, thus contributing to sensory-guided decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen F Staiger
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Neuroanatomy, Göttingen, Germany; and Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Faculty of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Abstract
Contemporary brain research seeks to understand how cognition is reducible to neural activity. Crucially, much of this effort is guided by a scientific paradigm that views neural activity as essentially driven by external stimuli. In contrast, recent perspectives argue that this paradigm is by itself inadequate and that understanding patterns of activity intrinsic to the brain is needed to explain cognition. Yet, despite this critique, the stimulus-driven paradigm still dominates-possibly because a convincing alternative has not been clear. Here, we review a series of findings suggesting such an alternative. These findings indicate that neural activity in the hippocampus occurs in one of three brain states that have radically different anatomical, physiological, representational, and behavioral correlates, together implying different functional roles in cognition. This three-state framework also indicates that neural representations in the hippocampus follow a surprising pattern of organization at the timescale of ∼1 s or longer. Lastly, beyond the hippocampus, recent breakthroughs indicate three parallel states in the cortex, suggesting shared principles and brain-wide organization of intrinsic neural activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Kay
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Loren M Frank
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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16
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Bahia CP, Vianna-Barbosa RJ, Tovar-Moll F, Lent R. Terminal Arbors of Callosal Axons Undergo Plastic Changes in Early-Amputated Rats. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:1460-1472. [PMID: 30873555 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 02/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory information is processed in specific brain regions, and shared between the cerebral hemispheres by axons that cross the midline through the corpus callosum. However, sensory deprivation usually causes sensory losses and/or functional changes. This is the case of people who suffered limb amputation and show changes of body map organization within the somatosensory cortex (S1) of the deafferented cerebral hemisphere (contralateral to the amputated limb), as well as in the afferented hemisphere (ipsilateral to the amputated limb). Although several studies have approached these functional changes, the possible finer morphological alterations, such as those occurring in callosal axons, still remain unknown. The present work combined histochemistry, single-axon tracing and 3D microscopy to analyze the fine morphological changes that occur in callosal axons of the forepaw representation in early amputated rats. We showed that the forepaw representation in S1 was reduced in the deafferented hemisphere and expanded in the afferented side. Accordingly, after amputation, callosal axons originating from the deafferented cortex undergo an expansion of their terminal arbors with increased number of terminal boutons within the homotopic representation at the afferented cerebral hemisphere. Similar microscale structural changes may underpin the macroscale morphological and functional phenomena that characterize limb amputation in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlomagno Pacheco Bahia
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil.,Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, CEP 66075-110 Belém (PA), Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Jorge Vianna-Barbosa
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
| | - Fernanda Tovar-Moll
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil.,D'Or Institute of Research and Education, CEP 22281-100 Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
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17
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Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G. Neuroscience: From Sensory Discrimination to Choice in Gustatory Cortex. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R444-R446. [PMID: 32428476 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Sensory areas have been shown to be influenced by higher-order cognitive processes. Yet how do these top-down processes affect decisions? A recent study has revealed a dynamic evolution of neural activity from sensory discrimination to choice in rodent taste cortex.
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18
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Perrotta A, Pais-Vieira C, Allahdad MK, Bicho E, Pais-Vieira M. Differential width discrimination task for active and passive tactile discrimination in humans. MethodsX 2020; 7:100852. [PMID: 32309150 PMCID: PMC7155220 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2020.100852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurophysiological basis of width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents and has shown that active and passive tactile discrimination engage fundamentally different neural networks. Although previous studies have analyzed active and passive tactile processing in humans, little is known about the neurophysiological basis of width discrimination in humans. Here we present a width discrimination task for humans that reproduces the main features of the width discrimination task previously developed for rodents. The task required subjects to actively or passively sample two movable bars forming a “narrow” or “wide” aperture. Subjects were then required to press one of two buttons to indicate if the bar width was “narrow” or “wide”. Behavioral testing showed that subjects were capable of discriminating between wide or narrow apertures up to distances of 0.1 cm. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings further suggested distinct topographic maps for active and passive versions of the task during the period associated with the aperture discrimination. These results indicate that the Human Differential Width Discrimination Task is a valuable tool to describe the behavioral characteristics and neurophysiological basis of tactile processing.Active and passive width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents but not in humans. Human subjects were capable of discriminating aperture widths of 0.1 cm. Electroencephalography recordings showed that active and passive versions of the task were associated with different topographic maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Perrotta
- Centro de Investigação em Ciência e Tecnologia das Artes (CITAR), Escola da Artes, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde-Porto, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mehrab K. Allahdad
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde-Porto, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
- Centro Algoritmi, Department of Industrial Electronics, University of Minho, Campus Azurem, Guimarães, Braga, Portugal
| | - Estela Bicho
- Centro Algoritmi, Department of Industrial Electronics, University of Minho, Campus Azurem, Guimarães, Braga, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde-Porto, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- iBiMED – Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Corresponding author.
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19
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A Brain to Spine Interface for Transferring Artificial Sensory Information. Sci Rep 2020; 10:900. [PMID: 31964948 PMCID: PMC6972753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57617-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lack of sensory feedback is a major obstacle in the rapid absorption of prosthetic devices by the brain. While electrical stimulation of cortical and subcortical structures provides unique means to deliver sensory information to higher brain structures, these approaches require highly invasive surgery and are dependent on accurate targeting of brain structures. Here, we propose a semi-invasive method, Dorsal Column Stimulation (DCS) as a tool for transferring sensory information to the brain. Using this new approach, we show that rats can learn to discriminate artificial sensations generated by DCS and that DCS-induced learning results in corticostriatal plasticity. We also demonstrate a proof of concept brain-to-spine interface (BTSI), whereby tactile and artificial sensory information are decoded from the brain of an “encoder” rat, transformed into DCS pulses, and delivered to the spinal cord of a second “decoder” rat while the latter performs an analog-to-digital conversion during a sensory discrimination task. These results suggest that DCS can be used as an effective sensory channel to transmit prosthetic information to the brain or between brains, and could be developed as a novel platform for delivering tactile and proprioceptive feedback in clinical applications of brain-machine interfaces.
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20
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Localization of movable electrodes in a multi-electrode microdrive in nonhuman primates. J Neurosci Methods 2019; 330:108505. [PMID: 31711885 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, large-scale semi-chronic recording systems have been developed, unique in their capability to record simultaneously from multiple individually moveable electrodes. As these recording systems can cover a large area, knowledge of the exact location of each individual electrode is crucial. Currently, the only method of keeping track of electrode depth and thus location is through detailed notebook keeping on neural activity. NEW METHOD We have improved the electrode localization by combining pre- and postoperative anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with high resolution computed tomography (CT) scans throughout the experiment, and validated our method by comparing the resulting location estimates with traditional notebook-keeping. Finally, the actual location of a selection of electrodes was marked at the end of the experiment by creating small metallic depositions using electrical stimulation, and thereby made visible on MRI. RESULTS Combining CT scans with a high resolution, artefact reducing sequence during the experiment with a preoperative MRI scan provides crucial information about the exact electrode location of multielectrode arrays with individually moveable electrodes. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS The information obtained from the hybrid CT-MR image and the notes on spiking activity showed a similar pattern, with the clear advantage of the visualization of the exact position of the electrodes using our method. CONCLUSIONS The described technique allows for a precise anatomical identification of the recorded brain areas and thus to draw strong conclusions about the role of each targeted cortical area in the behavior under study.
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21
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Whisking Asymmetry Signals Motor Preparation and the Behavioral State of Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:9818-9830. [PMID: 31666357 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1809-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A central function of the brain is to plan, predict, and imagine the effect of movement in a dynamically changing environment. Here we show that in mice head-fixed in a plus-maze, floating on air, and trained to pick lanes based on visual stimuli, the asymmetric movement, and position of whiskers on the two sides of the face signals whether the animal is moving, turning, expecting reward, or licking. We show that (1) whisking asymmetry is coordinated with behavioral state, and that behavioral state can be decoded and predicted based on asymmetry, (2) even in the absence of tactile input, whisker positioning and asymmetry nevertheless relate to behavioral state, and (3) movement of the nose correlates with asymmetry, indicating that facial expression of the mouse is itself correlated with behavioral state. These results indicate that the movement of whiskers, a behavior that is not instructed or necessary in the task, can inform an observer about what a mouse is doing in the maze. Thus, the position of these mobile tactile sensors reflects a behavioral and movement-preparation state of the mouse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Behavior is a sequence of movements, where each movement can be related to or can trigger a set of other actions. Here we show that, in mice, the movement of whiskers (tactile sensors used to extract information about texture and location of objects) is coordinated with and predicts the behavioral state of mice: that is, what mice are doing, where they are in space, and where they are in the sequence of behaviors.
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22
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Abstract
Tactile sensory information from facial whiskers provides nocturnal tunnel-dwelling rodents, including mice and rats, with important spatial and textural information about their immediate surroundings. Whiskers are moved back and forth to scan the environment (whisking), and touch signals from each whisker evoke sparse patterns of neuronal activity in whisker-related primary somatosensory cortex (wS1; barrel cortex). Whisking is accompanied by desynchronized brain states and cell-type-specific changes in spontaneous and evoked neuronal activity. Tactile information, including object texture and location, appears to be computed in wS1 through integration of motor and sensory signals. wS1 also directly controls whisker movements and contributes to learned, whisker-dependent, goal-directed behaviours. The cell-type-specific neuronal circuitry in wS1 that contributes to whisker sensory perception is beginning to be defined.
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Kunicki C, C Moioli R, Pais-Vieira M, Salles Cunha Peres A, Morya E, A L Nicolelis M. Frequency-specific coupling in fronto-parieto-occipital cortical circuits underlie active tactile discrimination. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5105. [PMID: 30911025 PMCID: PMC6434051 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41516-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of tactile sensory information in rodents is critically dependent on the communication between the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and higher-order integrative cortical areas. Here, we have simultaneously characterized single-unit activity and local field potential (LFP) dynamics in the S1, primary visual cortex (V1), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), while freely moving rats performed an active tactile discrimination task. Simultaneous single unit recordings from all these cortical regions revealed statistically significant neuronal firing rate modulations during all task phases (anticipatory, discrimination, response, and reward). Meanwhile, phase analysis of pairwise LFP recordings revealed the occurrence of long-range synchronization across the sampled fronto-parieto-occipital cortical areas during tactile sampling. Causal analysis of the same pairwise recorded LFPs demonstrated the occurrence of complex dynamic interactions between cortical areas throughout the fronto-parietal-occipital loop. These interactions changed significantly between cortical regions as a function of frequencies (i.e. beta, theta and gamma) and according to the different phases of the behavioral task. Overall, these findings indicate that active tactile discrimination by rats is characterized by much more widespread and dynamic complex interactions within the fronto-parieto-occipital cortex than previously anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Kunicki
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaíba, 59280-000, Brazil.
| | - Renan C Moioli
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaíba, 59280-000, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, 4169-005, Portugal
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
| | - André Salles Cunha Peres
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaíba, 59280-000, Brazil
| | - Edgard Morya
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaíba, 59280-000, Brazil
| | - Miguel A L Nicolelis
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaíba, 59280-000, Brazil
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Duke Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
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24
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Superficial Layers Suppress the Deep Layers to Fine-tune Cortical Coding. J Neurosci 2019; 39:2052-2064. [PMID: 30651326 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1459-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The descending microcircuit from layer 2/3 (L2/3) to layer 5 (L5) is one of the strongest excitatory pathways in the cortex, presumably forming a core component of its feedforward hierarchy. To date, however, no experiments have selectively tested the impact of L2/3 activity on L5 during active sensation. We used optogenetic, cell-type-specific manipulation of L2/3 neurons in the barrel cortex of actively sensing mice (of either sex) to elucidate the significance of this pathway to sensory coding in L5. Contrary to standard models, activating L2/3 predominantly suppressed spontaneous activity in L5, whereas deactivating L2/3 mainly facilitated touch responses in L5. Somatostatin interneurons are likely important to this suppression because their optogenetic deactivation significantly altered the functional impact of L2/3 onto L5. The net effect of L2/3 was to enhance the stimulus selectivity and expand the range of L5 output. These data imply that the core cortical pathway increases the selectivity and expands the range of cortical output through feedforward inhibition.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The primary sensory cortex contains six distinct layers that interact to form the basis of our perception. While rudimentary patterns of connectivity between the layers have been outlined quite extensively in vitro, functional relationships in vivo, particularly during active sensation, remain poorly understood. We used cell-type-specific optogenetics to test the functional relationship between layer 2/3 and layer 5. Surprisingly, we discovered that L2/3 primarily suppresses cortical output from L5. The recruitment of somatostatin-positive interneurons is likely fundamental to this relationship. The net effect of this translaminar suppression is to enhance the selectivity and expand the range of receptive fields, therefore potentially sharpening the perception of space.
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Tran CHT, Peringod G, Gordon GR. Astrocytes Integrate Behavioral State and Vascular Signals during Functional Hyperemia. Neuron 2018; 100:1133-1148.e3. [PMID: 30482689 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic changes in astrocyte free Ca2+ regulate synaptic signaling and local blood flow. Although astrocytes are poised to integrate signals from synapses and the vasculature to perform their functional roles, it remains unclear what dictates astrocyte responses during neurovascular coupling under realistic conditions. We examined peri-arteriole and peri-capillary astrocytes in the barrel cortex of active mice in response to sensory stimulation or volitional behaviors. We observed an AMPA and NMDA receptor-dependent elevation in astrocyte endfoot Ca2+ that followed functional hyperemia onset. This delayed astrocyte Ca2+ signal was dependent on the animal's action at the time of measurement as well as a neurovascular pathway that linked to endothelial-derived nitric oxide. A similar elevation in endfoot Ca2+ was evoked using vascular chemogenetics or optogenetics, and opto-stimulated dilation recruited the same nitric oxide pathway as functional hyperemia. These data show that behavioral state and microvasculature influence astrocyte Ca2+ in active mice. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cam Ha T Tran
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Govind Peringod
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Grant R Gordon
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
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26
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Schriver BJ, Bagdasarov S, Wang Q. Pupil-linked arousal modulates behavior in rats performing a whisker deflection direction discrimination task. J Neurophysiol 2018; 120:1655-1670. [PMID: 29995602 PMCID: PMC6230792 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00290.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-luminance-mediated changes in pupil size have been widely used to index arousal state. Recent animal studies have demonstrated correlations between behavioral state-related pupil dynamics and sensory processing. However, the relationship between pupil-linked arousal and behavior in animals performing perceptual tasks has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we trained head-fixed rats to discriminate between directions of whisker movements using a Go/No-Go discrimination paradigm while imaging their pupils. Reaction times in this discrimination task were significantly slower than in previously reported detection tasks with similar setup, suggesting that discrimination required an increased cognitive load. We found the pupils dilated for all trials following stimulus presentation. Interestingly, in correct rejection trials, where pupil dilations solely resulted from cognitive processing, dilations were larger for more difficult stimuli. Baseline pupil size before stimulus presentation strongly correlated with behavior, as perceptual sensitivity peaked at intermediate pupil baselines and reaction time was fastest at large baselines. We further explored these relationships by investigating to what extent pupil baseline was predictive of upcoming behavior and found that a Bayesian decoder had significantly greater-than-chance probability in correctly predicting behavioral outcomes. Moreover, the outcome of the previous trial showed a strong correlation with behavior on present trials. Animals were more liberal and faster in responding following hit trials, whereas perceptual sensitivity was greatest following correct rejection trials. Taken together, these results suggest a tight correlation between pupil dynamics, perceptual performance, and reaction time in behaving rats, all of which are modulated by fluctuating arousal state. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we for the first time demonstrated that head-fixed rats were able to discriminate different directions of whisker movement. Interestingly, we found that the pupil dilated more when discriminating more difficult stimuli, a phenomenon reported in human subjects but not in animals. Baseline pupil size before stimulus presentation was found to strongly correlate with behavior, and a Bayesian decoder had significantly greater-than-chance probability in correctly predicting behavioral outcomes based on the baseline pupil size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Schriver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University , New York, New York
| | - Svetlana Bagdasarov
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University , New York, New York
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University , New York, New York
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Liang B, Zhang L, Barbera G, Fang W, Zhang J, Chen X, Chen R, Li Y, Lin DT. Distinct and Dynamic ON and OFF Neural Ensembles in the Prefrontal Cortex Code Social Exploration. Neuron 2018; 100:700-714.e9. [PMID: 30269987 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.08.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is important for social behavior, but the mechanisms by which mPFC neurons code real-time social exploration remain largely unknown. Here we utilized miniScopes to record calcium activities from hundreds of excitatory neurons in the mPFC while mice freely explored restrained social targets in the absence or presence of the psychedelic drug phencyclidine (PCP). We identified distinct and dynamic ON and OFF neural ensembles that displayed opposing activities to code real-time behavioral information. We further illustrated that ON and OFF ensembles tuned to social exploration carried information of salience and novelty for social targets. Finally, we showed that dysfunctions in these ensembles were associated with abnormal social exploration elicited by PCP. Our findings underscore the importance of mPFC ON and OFF neural ensembles for proper exploratory behavior, including social exploration, and pave the way for future studies elucidating neural circuit dysfunctions in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liang
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Lifeng Zhang
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Giovanni Barbera
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Wenting Fang
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Fujian Institute of Geriatrics, Union Hospital, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China
| | - Xiaochun Chen
- Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, China
| | - Rong Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 100 N. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yun Li
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
| | - Da-Ting Lin
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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28
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Makino H. Top-down control: A unified principle of cortical learning. Neurosci Res 2018; 141:23-28. [PMID: 30125609 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control of the brain flexibly maps incoming sensory information onto execution of actions appropriate for the current goal. Learning is a process that enables the brain to estimate current states of the world by extracting its spatiotemporal structure and generate goal-directed motor outputs through selective association of events or movement refinement. Accumulating evidence suggests that top-down control from higher-order brain areas modulates downstream neural activity and changes local computations that are critical for the execution of learned behavior. Recent technological advances in multi-site recordings and optogenetic approaches are beginning to reveal more direct evidence of top-down cognitive control by monitoring and perturbing activity of top-down inputs and observing its causal consequences on behavior and downstream neural dynamics. Here I highlight that learning-related changes in neural circuits in distinct domains of learning converge onto a unified principle; namely recruitment of top-down control whether it involves sensory, motor or offline learning. Recruitment of top-down control may reflect experience-dependent adaptation and integration of internal models for refined state estimation and goal-directed optimal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Makino
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, 308232, Singapore.
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29
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Anti-correlated cortical networks arise from spontaneous neuronal dynamics at slow timescales. Sci Rep 2018; 8:666. [PMID: 29330480 PMCID: PMC5766587 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18097-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In the highly interconnected architectures of the cerebral cortex, recurrent intracortical loops disproportionately outnumber thalamo-cortical inputs. These networks are also capable of generating neuronal activity without feedforward sensory drive. It is unknown, however, what spatiotemporal patterns may be solely attributed to intrinsic connections of the local cortical network. Using high-density microelectrode arrays, here we show that in the isolated, primary somatosensory cortex of mice, neuronal firing fluctuates on timescales from milliseconds to tens of seconds. Slower firing fluctuations reveal two spatially distinct neuronal ensembles, which correspond to superficial and deeper layers. These ensembles are anti-correlated: when one fires more, the other fires less and vice versa. This interplay is clearest at timescales of several seconds and is therefore consistent with shifts between active sensing and anticipatory behavioral states in mice.
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30
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Deolindo CS, Kunicki ACB, da Silva MI, Lima Brasil F, Moioli RC. Neuronal Assemblies Evidence Distributed Interactions within a Tactile Discrimination Task in Rats. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 11:114. [PMID: 29375324 PMCID: PMC5768614 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that neural interactions are distributed and relate to animal behavior, but many open questions remain. The neural assembly hypothesis, formulated by Hebb, states that synchronously active single neurons may transiently organize into functional neural circuits-neuronal assemblies (NAs)-and that would constitute the fundamental unit of information processing in the brain. However, the formation, vanishing, and temporal evolution of NAs are not fully understood. In particular, characterizing NAs in multiple brain regions over the course of behavioral tasks is relevant to assess the highly distributed nature of brain processing. In the context of NA characterization, active tactile discrimination tasks with rats are elucidative because they engage several cortical areas in the processing of information that are otherwise masked in passive or anesthetized scenarios. In this work, we investigate the dynamic formation of NAs within and among four different cortical regions in long-range fronto-parieto-occipital networks (primary somatosensory, primary visual, prefrontal, and posterior parietal cortices), simultaneously recorded from seven rats engaged in an active tactile discrimination task. Our results first confirm that task-related neuronal firing rate dynamics in all four regions is significantly modulated. Notably, a support vector machine decoder reveals that neural populations contain more information about the tactile stimulus than the majority of single neurons alone. Then, over the course of the task, we identify the emergence and vanishing of NAs whose participating neurons are shown to contain more information about animal behavior than randomly chosen neurons. Taken together, our results further support the role of multiple and distributed neurons as the functional unit of information processing in the brain (NA hypothesis) and their link to active animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Renan C. Moioli
- Graduate Program in Neuroengineering, Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Macaiba, Brazil
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31
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Cortical Neuroprosthesis Merges Visible and Invisible Light Without Impairing Native Sensory Function. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-NWR-0262-17. [PMID: 29279860 PMCID: PMC5739531 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0262-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult rats equipped with a sensory prosthesis, which transduced infrared (IR) signals into electrical signals delivered to somatosensory cortex (S1), took approximately 4 d to learn a four-choice IR discrimination task. Here, we show that when such IR signals are projected to the primary visual cortex (V1), rats that are pretrained in a visual-discrimination task typically learn the same IR discrimination task on their first day of training. However, without prior training on a visual discrimination task, the learning rates for S1- and V1-implanted animals converged, suggesting there is no intrinsic difference in learning rate between the two areas. We also discovered that animals were able to integrate IR information into the ongoing visual processing stream in V1, performing a visual-IR integration task in which they had to combine IR and visual information. Furthermore, when the IR prosthesis was implanted in S1, rats showed no impairment in their ability to use their whiskers to perform a tactile discrimination task. Instead, in some rats, this ability was actually enhanced. Cumulatively, these findings suggest that cortical sensory neuroprostheses can rapidly augment the representational scope of primary sensory areas, integrating novel sources of information into ongoing processing while incurring minimal loss of native function.
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32
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Dotson NM, Hoffman SJ, Goodell B, Gray CM. A Large-Scale Semi-Chronic Microdrive Recording System for Non-Human Primates. Neuron 2017; 96:769-782.e2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.09.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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33
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Ni J, Chen JL. Long-range cortical dynamics: a perspective from the mouse sensorimotor whisker system. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:2315-2324. [PMID: 28921729 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In the mammalian neocortex, the capacity to dynamically route and coordinate the exchange of information between areas is a critical feature of cognitive function, enabling processes such as higher-level sensory processing and sensorimotor integration. Despite the importance attributed to long-range connections between cortical areas, their exact operations and role in cortical function remain an open question. In recent years, progress has been made in understanding long-range cortical circuits through work focused on the mouse sensorimotor whisker system. In this review, we examine recent studies dissecting long-range circuits involved in whisker sensorimotor processing as an entry point for understanding the rules that govern long-range cortical circuit function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguang Ni
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jerry L Chen
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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34
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Helmchen F, Gilad A, Chen JL. Neocortical dynamics during whisker-based sensory discrimination in head-restrained mice. Neuroscience 2017; 368:57-69. [PMID: 28919043 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental task frequently encountered by brains is to rapidly and reliably discriminate between sensory stimuli of the same modality, be it distinct auditory sounds, odors, visual patterns, or tactile textures. A key mammalian brain structure involved in discrimination behavior is the neocortex. Sensory processing not only involves the respective primary sensory area, which is crucial for perceptual detection, but additionally relies on cortico-cortical communication among several regions including higher-order sensory areas as well as frontal cortical areas. It remains elusive how these regions exchange information to process neural representations of distinct stimuli to bring about a decision and initiate appropriate behavioral responses. Likewise, it is poorly understood how these neural computations are conjured during task learning. In this review, we discuss recent studies investigating cortical dynamics during discrimination behaviors that utilize head-fixed behavioral tasks in combination with in vivo electrophysiology, two-photon calcium imaging, and cell-type-specific targeting. We particularly focus on information flow in distinct cortico-cortical pathways when mice use their whiskers to discriminate between different objects or different locations. Within the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices (S1 and S2, respectively) as well as vibrissae motor cortex (M1), intermingled functional representations of touch, whisking, and licking were found, which partially re-organized during discrimination learning. These findings provide first glimpses of cortico-cortical communication but emphasize that for understanding the complete process of discrimination it will be crucial to elucidate the details of how neural processing is coordinated across brain-wide neuronal networks including the S1-S2-M1 triangle and cortical areas beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fritjof Helmchen
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Ariel Gilad
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jerry L Chen
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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35
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Functions and dysfunctions of neocortical inhibitory neuron subtypes. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:1199-1208. [PMID: 28849791 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neocortical inhibitory neurons exhibit remarkably diverse morphology, physiological properties and connectivity. Genetic access to molecularly defined subtypes of inhibitory neurons has aided their functional characterization in recent years. These studies have established that, instead of simply balancing excitatory neuron activity, inhibitory neurons actively shape excitatory circuits in a subtype-specific manner. We review the emerging view that inhibitory neuron subtypes perform context-dependent modulation of excitatory activity, as well as regulate experience-dependent plasticity of excitatory circuits. We then review the roles of neuromodulators in regulating the subtype-specific functions of inhibitory neurons. Finally, we discuss the idea that dysfunctions of inhibitory neuron subtypes may be responsible for various aspects of neurological disorders.
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36
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Lebedev MA, Nicolelis MAL. Brain-Machine Interfaces: From Basic Science to Neuroprostheses and Neurorehabilitation. Physiol Rev 2017; 97:767-837. [PMID: 28275048 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00027.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) combine methods, approaches, and concepts derived from neurophysiology, computer science, and engineering in an effort to establish real-time bidirectional links between living brains and artificial actuators. Although theoretical propositions and some proof of concept experiments on directly linking the brains with machines date back to the early 1960s, BMI research only took off in earnest at the end of the 1990s, when this approach became intimately linked to new neurophysiological methods for sampling large-scale brain activity. The classic goals of BMIs are 1) to unveil and utilize principles of operation and plastic properties of the distributed and dynamic circuits of the brain and 2) to create new therapies to restore mobility and sensations to severely disabled patients. Over the past decade, a wide range of BMI applications have emerged, which considerably expanded these original goals. BMI studies have shown neural control over the movements of robotic and virtual actuators that enact both upper and lower limb functions. Furthermore, BMIs have also incorporated ways to deliver sensory feedback, generated from external actuators, back to the brain. BMI research has been at the forefront of many neurophysiological discoveries, including the demonstration that, through continuous use, artificial tools can be assimilated by the primate brain's body schema. Work on BMIs has also led to the introduction of novel neurorehabilitation strategies. As a result of these efforts, long-term continuous BMI use has been recently implicated with the induction of partial neurological recovery in spinal cord injury patients.
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37
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Locomotion Induces Stimulus-Specific Response Enhancement in Adult Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2017; 37:3532-3543. [PMID: 28258167 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3760-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The responses of neurons in the visual cortex (V1) of adult mammals have long been thought to be stable over long periods. Here, we investigated whether repeated exposure to specific stimuli would enhance V1 visual responses in mice using intrinsic signal imaging through the intact skull and two-photon imaging of calcium signals in single neurons. Mice ran on Styrofoam balls floating on air while viewing one of three different, high-contrast visual stimuli. V1 responses to the stimuli that were viewed by the animal were specifically enhanced, while responses to other stimuli were unaffected. Similar exposure in stationary mice or in mice in which NMDA receptors were partially blocked did not significantly enhance responses. These findings indicate that stimulus-specific plasticity in the adult visual cortex depends on concurrent locomotion, presumably as a result of the high-gain state of the visual cortex induced by locomotion.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report a rapid and persistent increase in visual cortical responses to visual stimuli presented during locomotion in intact mice. We first used a method that is completely noninvasive to image intrinsic signals through the intact skull. We then measured the same effects on single neurons using two-photon calcium imaging and found that the increase in response to a particular stimulus produced by locomotion depends on how well the neuron is initially driven by the stimulus. To our knowledge, this is the first time such enhancement has been described in single neurons or using noninvasive measurements.
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38
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Li L, Ebner FF. Cortex dynamically modulates responses of thalamic relay neurons through prolonged circuit-level disinhibition in rat thalamus in vivo. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:2368-2382. [PMID: 27582292 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00424.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortex actively modulates the responses of thalamic relay neurons through corticothalamic (CT) projections. Here we investigated the temporal precision of CT modulation on sensory responses of relay neurons in rat ventral posterior medial thalamus (VPM) to direction-specific whisker stimuli. CT feedback levels were either augmented by cortical electrical microstimulation or depressed by cortical application of muscimol, a potent agonist of γ-aminobutyric acid A-type (GABAA) receptors. To evaluate the temporal specificity of CT influence, we compared the early (3-10 ms after stimulus onset) and late (10-100 ms) response components of VPM single units to whisker deflections in preferred or nonpreferred directions before and after altering CT feedback levels under urethane anesthesia. The data showed that cortical feedback most strongly affected the late responses of single VPM units to whisker stimulation. That is, cortical stimulation consistently increased the late responses of VPM units in the corresponding (homologous) barreloids to the stimulus direction preferred by neurons in the cortical locus stimulated. However, cortical stimulation could either increase or decrease the early response, depending on whether or not cortical and thalamic loci were tuned to the same direction. Such bidirectional regulation of the early and late VPM responses is consistent with a mechanism of circuit-level disinhibition in vivo. The results support the theory that CT feedback on thalamic sensory responses is mediated by a time-dependent shift of the excitation-inhibition balance in the thalamo-cortico-thalamic loop, such as would occur during sensory feature integration, plasticity, and learning in the awake state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Li
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, Washington; and
| | - Ford F Ebner
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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39
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Nashaat MA, Oraby H, Sachdev RNS, Winter Y, Larkum ME. Air-Track: a real-world floating environment for active sensing in head-fixed mice. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:1542-1553. [PMID: 27486102 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00088.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural behavior occurs in multiple sensory and motor modalities and in particular is dependent on sensory feedback that constantly adjusts behavior. To investigate the underlying neuronal correlates of natural behavior, it is useful to have access to state-of-the-art recording equipment (e.g., 2-photon imaging, patch recordings, etc.) that frequently requires head fixation. This limitation has been addressed with various approaches such as virtual reality/air ball or treadmill systems. However, achieving multimodal realistic behavior in these systems can be challenging. These systems are often also complex and expensive to implement. Here we present "Air-Track," an easy-to-build head-fixed behavioral environment that requires only minimal computational processing. The Air-Track is a lightweight physical maze floating on an air table that has all the properties of the "real" world, including multiple sensory modalities tightly coupled to motor actions. To test this system, we trained mice in Go/No-Go and two-alternative forced choice tasks in a plus maze. Mice chose lanes and discriminated apertures or textures by moving the Air-Track back and forth and rotating it around themselves. Mice rapidly adapted to moving the track and used visual, auditory, and tactile cues to guide them in performing the tasks. A custom-controlled camera system monitored animal location and generated data that could be used to calculate reaction times in the visual and somatosensory discrimination tasks. We conclude that the Air-Track system is ideal for eliciting natural behavior in concert with virtually any system for monitoring or manipulating brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa A Nashaat
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hatem Oraby
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and
| | - Robert N S Sachdev
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and
| | - York Winter
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and
| | - Matthew E Larkum
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; and
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40
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Daulatzai MA. Dysfunctional Sensory Modalities, Locus Coeruleus, and Basal Forebrain: Early Determinants that Promote Neuropathogenesis of Cognitive and Memory Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurotox Res 2016; 30:295-337. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-016-9643-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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41
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Naka A, Adesnik H. Inhibitory Circuits in Cortical Layer 5. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 10:35. [PMID: 27199675 PMCID: PMC4859073 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory neurons play a fundamental role in cortical computation and behavior. Recent technological advances, such as two photon imaging, targeted in vivo recording, and molecular profiling, have improved our understanding of the function and diversity of cortical interneurons, but for technical reasons most work has been directed towards inhibitory neurons in the superficial cortical layers. Here we review current knowledge specifically on layer 5 (L5) inhibitory microcircuits, which play a critical role in controlling cortical output. We focus on recent work from the well-studied rodent barrel cortex, but also draw on evidence from studies in primary visual cortex and other cortical areas. The diversity of both deep inhibitory neurons and their pyramidal cell targets make this a challenging but essential area of study in cortical computation and sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Naka
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Hillel Adesnik
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, USA
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McGinley MJ, Vinck M, Reimer J, Batista-Brito R, Zagha E, Cadwell CR, Tolias AS, Cardin JA, McCormick DA. Waking State: Rapid Variations Modulate Neural and Behavioral Responses. Neuron 2015; 87:1143-1161. [PMID: 26402600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 465] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The state of the brain and body constantly varies on rapid and slow timescales. These variations contribute to the apparent noisiness of sensory responses at both the neural and the behavioral level. Recent investigations of rapid state changes in awake, behaving animals have provided insight into the mechanisms by which optimal sensory encoding and behavioral performance are achieved. Fluctuations in state, as indexed by pupillometry, impact both the "signal" (sensory evoked response) and the "noise" (spontaneous activity) of cortical responses. By taking these fluctuations into account, neural response (co)variability is significantly reduced, revealing the brain to be more reliable and predictable than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J McGinley
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Martin Vinck
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jacob Reimer
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Renata Batista-Brito
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Cathryn R Cadwell
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Andreas S Tolias
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Jessica A Cardin
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
| | - David A McCormick
- Department of Neurobiology, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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Sofroniew NJ, Vlasov YA, Hires SA, Freeman J, Svoboda K. Neural coding in barrel cortex during whisker-guided locomotion. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26701910 PMCID: PMC4764557 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals seek out relevant information by moving through a dynamic world, but sensory systems are usually studied under highly constrained and passive conditions that may not probe important dimensions of the neural code. Here, we explored neural coding in the barrel cortex of head-fixed mice that tracked walls with their whiskers in tactile virtual reality. Optogenetic manipulations revealed that barrel cortex plays a role in wall-tracking. Closed-loop optogenetic control of layer 4 neurons can substitute for whisker-object contact to guide behavior resembling wall tracking. We measured neural activity using two-photon calcium imaging and extracellular recordings. Neurons were tuned to the distance between the animal snout and the contralateral wall, with monotonic, unimodal, and multimodal tuning curves. This rich representation of object location in the barrel cortex could not be predicted based on simple stimulus-response relationships involving individual whiskers and likely emerges within cortical circuits. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12559.001 Mice are primarily nocturnal animals that rely on their whiskers to navigate dark underground burrows and winding corridors. When a whisker touches an object, cells called neurons at the base of the whiskers produce electrical signals that are relayed to other neurons in an area of the brain called the barrel cortex. However, it is not clear how information is encoded in these electrical signals, in part, because it is technically challenging to collect data about neuron activity and behavior while the mice move around. To overcome these difficulties, Sofroniew, Vlasov et al. used a touch-based (or 'tactile') virtual reality system to study how mice navigate along corridors. The system simulated the contact the whiskers would have with the walls of a winding corridor. This was achieved by moving the walls with motors while holding the mouse still enough to be able to measure the activity of neurons in the barrel cortex and observe the behavior of the animal. The experiments show that the electrical signals in the barrel cortex encode information about motion as well as the distance between the mouse and the wall. For example, some neurons in the barrel cortex were only activated when a mouse was a particular distance from the walls. The experiments suggest that the barrel cortex processes signals received from several whiskers to build an overall picture of the locations and shapes of objects. Sofroniew, Vlasov et al. also used a technique called optogenetics to deliberately activate particular neurons in a manner that mimics their activity patterns during interactions with walls. In the absence of walls, the optogenetic stimuli guided the behavior of the mice so that they tracked along the paths of 'illusory' corridors. Together, these findings reveal the neural code in the barrel cortex that allows mice to navigate by touch. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12559.002
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yurii A Vlasov
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States.,IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, New York, United States
| | - Samuel Andrew Hires
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Jeremy Freeman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
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Abstract
UNLABELLED The parvicellular portion of the ventroposteromedial nucleus (VPMpc) is the part of the thalamus that processes gustatory information. Anatomical evidence shows that the VPMpc receives ascending gustatory inputs from the parabrachial nucleus (PbN) in the brainstem and sends projections to the gustatory cortex (GC). Although taste processing in PbN and GC has been the subject of intense investigation in behaving rodents, much less is known on how VPMpc neurons encode gustatory information. Here we present results from single-unit recordings in the VPMpc of alert rats receiving multiple tastants. Thalamic neurons respond to taste with time-varying modulations of firing rates, consistent with those observed in GC and PbN. These responses encode taste quality as well as palatability. Comparing responses to tastants either passively delivered, or self-administered after a cue, unveiled the effects of general expectation on taste processing in VPMpc. General expectation led to an improvement of taste coding by modulating response dynamics, and single neuron ability to encode multiple tastants. Our results demonstrate that the time course of taste coding as well as single neurons' ability to encode for multiple qualities are not fixed but rather can be altered by the state of the animal. Together, the data presented here provide the first description that taste coding in VPMpc is dynamic and state-dependent. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Over the past years, a great deal of attention has been devoted to understanding taste coding in the brainstem and cortex of alert rodents. Thanks to this research, we now know that taste coding is dynamic, distributed, and context-dependent. Alas, virtually nothing is known on how the gustatory thalamus (VPMpc) processes gustatory information in behaving rats. This manuscript investigates taste processing in the VPMpc of behaving rats. Our results show that thalamic neurons encode taste and palatability with time-varying patterns of activity and that thalamic coding of taste is modulated by general expectation. Our data will appeal not only to researchers interested in taste, but also to a broader audience of sensory and systems neuroscientists interested in the thalamocortical system.
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Liu H, Fontanini A. State Dependency of Chemosensory Coding in the Gustatory Thalamus (VPMpc) of Alert Rats. J Neurosci 2015; 35:15479-91. [PMID: 26609147 PMCID: PMC4659819 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0839-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The parvicellular portion of the ventroposteromedial nucleus (VPMpc) is the part of the thalamus that processes gustatory information. Anatomical evidence shows that the VPMpc receives ascending gustatory inputs from the parabrachial nucleus (PbN) in the brainstem and sends projections to the gustatory cortex (GC). Although taste processing in PbN and GC has been the subject of intense investigation in behaving rodents, much less is known on how VPMpc neurons encode gustatory information. Here we present results from single-unit recordings in the VPMpc of alert rats receiving multiple tastants. Thalamic neurons respond to taste with time-varying modulations of firing rates, consistent with those observed in GC and PbN. These responses encode taste quality as well as palatability. Comparing responses to tastants either passively delivered, or self-administered after a cue, unveiled the effects of general expectation on taste processing in VPMpc. General expectation led to an improvement of taste coding by modulating response dynamics, and single neuron ability to encode multiple tastants. Our results demonstrate that the time course of taste coding as well as single neurons' ability to encode for multiple qualities are not fixed but rather can be altered by the state of the animal. Together, the data presented here provide the first description that taste coding in VPMpc is dynamic and state-dependent. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Over the past years, a great deal of attention has been devoted to understanding taste coding in the brainstem and cortex of alert rodents. Thanks to this research, we now know that taste coding is dynamic, distributed, and context-dependent. Alas, virtually nothing is known on how the gustatory thalamus (VPMpc) processes gustatory information in behaving rats. This manuscript investigates taste processing in the VPMpc of behaving rats. Our results show that thalamic neurons encode taste and palatability with time-varying patterns of activity and that thalamic coding of taste is modulated by general expectation. Our data will appeal not only to researchers interested in taste, but also to a broader audience of sensory and systems neuroscientists interested in the thalamocortical system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixin Liu
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Alfredo Fontanini
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
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A direct translaminar inhibitory circuit tunes cortical output. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1631-40. [PMID: 26414615 PMCID: PMC4624464 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Anatomical and physiological experiments have outlined a blueprint for the feed-forward flow of activity in cortical circuits: signals are thought to propagate primarily from the middle cortical layer, L4, up to L2/3, and down to the major cortical output layer, L5. Pharmacological manipulations, however, have contested this model and suggested that L4 may not be critical for sensory responses of neurons in either superficial or deep layers. To address these conflicting models we reversibly manipulated L4 activity in awake, behaving mice using cell-type specific optogenetics. In contrast to both prevailing models, we show that activity in L4 directly suppresses L5, in part by activating deep, fast spiking inhibitory neurons. Our data suggest that the net impact of L4 activity is to sharpen the spatial representations of L5 neurons. Thus we establish a novel translaminar inhibitory circuit in the sensory cortex that acts to enhance the feature selectivity of cortical output.
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Pais-Vieira M, Kunicki C, Tseng PH, Martin J, Lebedev M, Nicolelis MAL. Cortical and thalamic contributions to response dynamics across layers of the primary somatosensory cortex during tactile discrimination. J Neurophysiol 2015; 114:1652-76. [PMID: 26180115 PMCID: PMC4567613 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00108.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Tactile information processing in the rodent primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is layer specific and involves modulations from both thalamocortical and cortico-cortical loops. However, the extent to which these loops influence the dynamics of the primary somatosensory cortex while animals execute tactile discrimination remains largely unknown. Here, we describe neural dynamics of S1 layers across the multiple epochs defining a tactile discrimination task. We observed that neuronal ensembles within different layers of the S1 cortex exhibited significantly distinct neurophysiological properties, which constantly changed across the behavioral states that defined a tactile discrimination. Neural dynamics present in supragranular and granular layers generally matched the patterns observed in the ventral posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus (VPM), whereas the neural dynamics recorded from infragranular layers generally matched the patterns from the posterior nucleus of the thalamus (POM). Selective inactivation of contralateral S1 specifically switched infragranular neural dynamics from POM-like to those resembling VPM neurons. Meanwhile, ipsilateral M1 inactivation profoundly modulated the firing suppression observed in infragranular layers. This latter effect was counterbalanced by contralateral S1 block. Tactile stimulus encoding was layer specific and selectively affected by M1 or contralateral S1 inactivation. Lastly, causal information transfer occurred between all neurons in all S1 layers but was maximal from infragranular to the granular layer. These results suggest that tactile information processing in the S1 of awake behaving rodents is layer specific and state dependent and that its dynamics depend on the asynchronous convergence of modulations originating from ipsilateral M1 and contralateral S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and
| | - Carolina Kunicki
- Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal, Natal, Brazil
| | - Po-He Tseng
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Joel Martin
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Mikhail Lebedev
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and
| | - Miguel A L Nicolelis
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal, Natal, Brazil
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48
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Makino H, Komiyama T. Learning enhances the relative impact of top-down processing in the visual cortex. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1116-22. [PMID: 26167904 PMCID: PMC4523093 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Theories have proposed that, in sensory cortices, learning can enhance top-down modulation by higher brain areas while reducing bottom-up sensory drives. To address circuit mechanisms underlying this process, we examined the activity of layer 2/3 (L2/3) excitatory neurons in the mouse primary visual cortex (V1) as well as L4 excitatory neurons, the main bottom-up source, and long-range top-down projections from the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) during associative learning over days using chronic two-photon calcium imaging. During learning, L4 responses gradually weakened, whereas RSC inputs became stronger. Furthermore, L2/3 acquired a ramp-up response temporal profile, potentially encoding the timing of the associated event, which coincided with a similar change in RSC inputs. Learning also reduced the activity of somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons (SOM-INs) in V1 that could potentially gate top-down inputs. Finally, RSC inactivation or SOM-IN activation was sufficient to partially reverse the learning-induced changes in L2/3. Together, these results reveal a learning-dependent dynamic shift in the balance between bottom-up and top-down information streams and uncover a role of SOM-INs in controlling this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Makino
- Neurobiology Section, Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, and Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Takaki Komiyama
- 1] Neurobiology Section, Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, and Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. [2] JST, PRESTO, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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49
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Pais-Vieira M, Chiuffa G, Lebedev M, Yadav A, Nicolelis MAL. Building an organic computing device with multiple interconnected brains. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11869. [PMID: 26158615 PMCID: PMC4497302 DOI: 10.1038/srep11869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, we proposed that Brainets, i.e. networks formed by multiple animal brains, cooperating and exchanging information in real time through direct brain-to-brain interfaces, could provide the core of a new type of computing device: an organic computer. Here, we describe the first experimental demonstration of such a Brainet, built by interconnecting four adult rat brains. Brainets worked by concurrently recording the extracellular electrical activity generated by populations of cortical neurons distributed across multiple rats chronically implanted with multi-electrode arrays. Cortical neuronal activity was recorded and analyzed in real time, and then delivered to the somatosensory cortices of other animals that participated in the Brainet using intracortical microstimulation (ICMS). Using this approach, different Brainet architectures solved a number of useful computational problems, such as discrete classification, image processing, storage and retrieval of tactile information, and even weather forecasting. Brainets consistently performed at the same or higher levels than single rats in these tasks. Based on these findings, we propose that Brainets could be used to investigate animal social behaviors as well as a test bed for exploring the properties and potential applications of organic computers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Gabriela Chiuffa
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Mikhail Lebedev
- 1] Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 [2] Duke Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Amol Yadav
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Miguel A L Nicolelis
- 1] Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 [2] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 [3] Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 [4] Duke Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 [5] Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal, Natal, Brazil
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50
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Zippo AG, Romanelli P, Torres Martinez NR, Caramenti GC, Benabid AL, Biella GEM. A novel wireless recording and stimulating multichannel epicortical grid for supplementing or enhancing the sensory-motor functions in monkey (Macaca fascicularis). Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:73. [PMID: 26029061 PMCID: PMC4429233 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) represent a prospective step forward supporting or replacing faulty brain functions. So far, several obstacles, such as the energy supply, the portability and the biocompatibility, have been limiting their effective translation in advanced experimental or clinical applications. In this work, a novel 16 channel chronically implantable epicortical grid has been proposed. It provides wireless transmission of cortical recordings and stimulations, with induction current recharge. The grid has been chronically implanted in a non-human primate (Macaca fascicularis) and placed over the somato-motor cortex such that 13 electrodes recorded or stimulated the primary motor cortex and three the primary somatosensory cortex, in the deeply anaesthetized animal. Cortical sensory and motor recordings and stimulations have been performed within 3 months from the implant. In detail, by delivering motor cortex epicortical single spot stimulations (1-8 V, 1-10 Hz, 500 ms, biphasic waves), we analyzed the motor topographic precision, evidenced by tunable finger or arm movements of the anesthetized animal. The responses to light mechanical peripheral sensory stimuli (blocks of 100 stimuli, each single stimulus being <1 ms and interblock intervals of 1.5-4 s) have been analyzed. We found 150-250 ms delayed cortical responses from fast finger touches, often spread to nearby motor stations. We also evaluated the grid electrical stimulus interference with somatotopic natural tactile sensory processing showing no suppressing interference with sensory stimulus detection. In conclusion, we propose a chronically implantable epicortical grid which can accommodate most of current technological restrictions, representing an acceptable candidate for BMI experimental and clinical uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio G Zippo
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council Segrate, Italy
| | | | - Napoleon R Torres Martinez
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire d' Électronique des Technologies de l'Information, CLINATEC Grenoble, France
| | | | - Alim L Benabid
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire d' Électronique des Technologies de l'Information, CLINATEC Grenoble, France
| | - Gabriele E M Biella
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council Segrate, Italy
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