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Kim HH, Bonekamp KE, Gillie GR, Autio DM, Keller T, Crandall SR. Functional Dynamics and Selectivity of Two Parallel Corticocortical Pathways from Motor Cortex to Layer 5 Circuits in Somatosensory Cortex. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0154-24.2024. [PMID: 38834298 PMCID: PMC11209671 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0154-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In the rodent whisker system, active sensing and sensorimotor integration are mediated in part by the dynamic interactions between the motor cortex (M1) and somatosensory cortex (S1). However, understanding these dynamic interactions requires knowledge about the synapses and how specific neurons respond to their input. Here, we combined optogenetics, retrograde labeling, and electrophysiology to characterize the synaptic connections between M1 and layer 5 (L5) intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons in S1 of mice (both sexes). We found that M1 synapses onto IT cells displayed modest short-term depression, whereas synapses onto PT neurons showed robust short-term facilitation. Despite M1 inputs to IT cells depressing, their slower kinetics resulted in summation and a response that increased during short trains. In contrast, summation was minimal in PT neurons due to the fast time course of their M1 responses. The functional consequences of this reduced summation, however, were outweighed by the strong facilitation at these M1 synapses, resulting in larger response amplitudes in PT neurons than IT cells during repetitive stimulation. To understand the impact of facilitating M1 inputs on PT output, we paired trains of inputs with single backpropagating action potentials, finding that repetitive M1 activation increased the probability of bursts in PT cells without impacting the time dependence of this coupling. Thus, there are two parallel but dynamically distinct systems of M1 synaptic excitation in L5 of S1, each defined by the short-term dynamics of its synapses, the class of postsynaptic neurons, and how the neurons respond to those inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Hyun Kim
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Kelly E Bonekamp
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Grant R Gillie
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Dawn M Autio
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Tryton Keller
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Shane R Crandall
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
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Kim HH, Bonekamp KE, Gillie GR, Autio DM, Keller T, Crandall SR. Functional dynamics and selectivity of two parallel corticocortical pathways from motor cortex to layer 5 circuits in somatosensory cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.11.579810. [PMID: 38405888 PMCID: PMC10888929 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.11.579810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
In the rodent whisker system, active sensing and sensorimotor integration are mediated in part by the dynamic interactions between the motor cortex (M1) and somatosensory cortex (S1). However, understanding these dynamic interactions requires knowledge about the synapses and how specific neurons respond to their input. Here, we combined optogenetics, retrograde labeling, and electrophysiology to characterize the synaptic connections between M1 and layer 5 (L5) intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons in S1 of mice (both sexes). We found that M1 synapses onto IT cells displayed modest short-term depression, whereas synapses onto PT neurons showed robust short-term facilitation. Despite M1 inputs to IT cells depressing, their slower kinetics resulted in summation and a response that increased during short trains. In contrast, summation was minimal in PT neurons due to the fast time course of their M1 responses. The functional consequences of this reduced summation, however, were outweighed by the strong facilitation at these M1 synapses, resulting in larger response amplitudes in PT neurons than IT cells during repetitive stimulation. To understand the impact of facilitating M1 inputs on PT output, we paired trains of inputs with single backpropagating action potentials, finding that repetitive M1 activation increased the probability of bursts in PT cells without impacting the time-dependence of this coupling. Thus, there are two parallel but dynamically distinct systems of M1 synaptic excitation in L5 of S1, each defined by the short-term dynamics of its synapses, the class of postsynaptic neurons, and how the neurons respond to those inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Hyun Kim
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Kelly E. Bonekamp
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Grant R. Gillie
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Dawn M. Autio
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Tryton Keller
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Shane R. Crandall
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Kawatani M, Horio K, Ohkuma M, Li WR, Yamashita T. Interareal Synaptic Inputs Underlying Whisking-Related Activity in the Primary Somatosensory Barrel Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1148232023. [PMID: 38050130 PMCID: PMC10860602 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1148-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Body movements influence brain-wide neuronal activities. In the sensory cortex, thalamocortical bottom-up inputs and motor-sensory top-down inputs are thought to affect the dynamics of membrane potentials (Vm ) of neurons and change their processing of sensory information during movements. However, direct perturbation of the axons projecting to the sensory cortex from other remote areas during movements has remained unassessed, and therefore the interareal circuits generating motor-related signals in sensory cortices remain unclear. Using a Gi/o -coupled opsin, eOPN3, we here inhibited interareal signals incoming to the whisker primary somatosensory barrel cortex (wS1) of awake male mice and tested their effects on whisking-related changes in neuronal activities in wS1. Spontaneous whisking in air induced the changes in spike rates of a subset of wS1 neurons, which were accompanied by depolarization and substantial reduction of slow-wave oscillatory fluctuations of Vm Despite an extensive innervation, inhibition of inputs from the whisker primary motor cortex (wM1) to wS1 did not alter the spike rates and Vm dynamics of wS1 neurons during whisking. In contrast, inhibition of axons from the whisker-related thalamus (wTLM) and the whisker secondary somatosensory cortex (wS2) to wS1 largely attenuated the whisking-related supra- and sub-threshold Vm dynamics of wS1 neurons. Notably, silencing inputs from wTLM markedly decreased the modulation depth of whisking phase-tuned neurons in wS1, while inhibiting wS2 inputs did not impact the whisking variable tuning of wS1 neurons. Thus, sensorimotor integration in wS1 during spontaneous whisking is predominantly facilitated by direct synaptic inputs from wTLM and wS2 rather than from wM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Kawatani
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
- Department of Functional Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Kayo Horio
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Mahito Ohkuma
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Wan-Ru Li
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
- Department of Functional Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Takayuki Yamashita
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
- International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
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Li WR, Nakano T, Mizutani K, Matsubara T, Kawatani M, Mukai Y, Danjo T, Ito H, Aizawa H, Yamanaka A, Petersen CCH, Yoshimoto J, Yamashita T. Neural mechanisms underlying uninstructed orofacial movements during reward-based learning behaviors. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3436-3451.e7. [PMID: 37536343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
During reward-based learning tasks, animals make orofacial movements that globally influence brain activity at the timings of reward expectation and acquisition. These orofacial movements are not explicitly instructed and typically appear along with goal-directed behaviors. Here, we show that reinforcing optogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (oDAS) in mice is sufficient to induce orofacial movements in the whiskers and nose without accompanying goal-directed behaviors. Pavlovian conditioning with a sensory cue and oDAS elicited cue-locked and oDAS-aligned orofacial movements, which were distinguishable by a machine-learning model. Inhibition or knockout of dopamine D1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens inhibited oDAS-induced motion but spared cue-locked motion, suggesting differential regulation of these two types of orofacial motions. In contrast, inactivation of the whisker primary motor cortex (wM1) abolished both types of orofacial movements. We found specific neuronal populations in wM1 representing either oDAS-aligned or cue-locked whisker movements. Notably, optogenetic stimulation of wM1 neurons successfully replicated these two types of movements. Our results thus suggest that accumbal D1-receptor-dependent and -independent neuronal signals converge in the wM1 for facilitating distinct uninstructed orofacial movements during a reward-based learning task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Ru Li
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Department of Functional Anatomy & Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Takashi Nakano
- Department of Computational Biology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Kohta Mizutani
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takanori Matsubara
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kawatani
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; Department of Functional Anatomy & Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Mukai
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Teruko Danjo
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Hikaru Ito
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; Research Facility Center for Science and Technology, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
| | - Hidenori Aizawa
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junichiro Yoshimoto
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Biomedical Data Science, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan.
| | - Takayuki Yamashita
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan; International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan.
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Elbaz MA, Demers M, Kleinfeld D, Ethier C, Deschênes M. Interchangeable Role of Motor Cortex and Reafference for the Stable Execution of an Orofacial Action. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5521-5536. [PMID: 37400255 PMCID: PMC10376937 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2089-22.2023] [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: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals interact with their environment through mechanically active, mobile sensors. The efficient use of these sensory organs implies the ability to track their position; otherwise, perceptual stability or prehension would be profoundly impeded. The nervous system may keep track of the position of a sensorimotor organ via two complementary feedback mechanisms-peripheral reafference (external, sensory feedback) and efference copy (internal feedback). Yet, the potential contributions of these mechanisms remain largely unexplored. By training male rats to place one of their vibrissae within a predetermined angular range without contact, a task that depends on knowledge of vibrissa position relative to their face, we found that peripheral reafference is not required. The presence of motor cortex is not required either, except in the absence of peripheral reafference to maintain motor stability. Finally, the red nucleus, which receives descending inputs from motor cortex and cerebellum and projects to facial motoneurons, is critically involved in the execution of the vibrissa positioning task. All told, our results point toward the existence of an internal model that requires either peripheral reafference or motor cortex to optimally drive voluntary motion.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How does an animal know where a mechanically active, mobile sensor lies relative to its body? We address this basic question in sensorimotor integration using the motion of the vibrissae in rats. We show that rats can learn to reliably position their vibrissae in the absence of sensory feedback or in the absence of motor cortex. Yet, when both sensory feedback and motor cortex are absent, motor precision is degraded. This suggests the existence of an internal model able to operate in closed- and open-loop modes, requiring either motor cortex or sensory feedback to maintain motor stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël A Elbaz
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Laval University, Québec City, Québec G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Maxime Demers
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Laval University, Québec City, Québec G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Departments of Physics
- Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Christian Ethier
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Laval University, Québec City, Québec G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Martin Deschênes
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Laval University, Québec City, Québec G1J 2G3, Canada
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6
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Mannella F, Maggiore F, Baltieri M, Pezzulo G. Active inference through whiskers. Neural Netw 2021; 144:428-437. [PMID: 34563752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2021.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Rodents use whisking to probe actively their environment and to locate objects in space, hence providing a paradigmatic biological example of active sensing. Numerous studies show that the control of whisking has anticipatory aspects. For example, rodents target their whisker protraction to the distance at which they expect objects, rather than just reacting fast to contacts with unexpected objects. Here we characterize the anticipatory control of whisking in rodents as an active inference process. In this perspective, the rodent is endowed with a prior belief that it will touch something at the end of the whisker protraction, and it continuously modulates its whisking amplitude to minimize (proprioceptive and somatosensory) prediction errors arising from an unexpected whisker-object contact, or from a lack of an expected contact. We will use the model to qualitatively reproduce key empirical findings about the ways rodents modulate their whisker amplitude during exploration and the scanning of (expected or unexpected) objects. Furthermore, we will discuss how the components of active inference model can in principle map to the neurobiological circuits of rodent whisking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Mannella
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
| | - Federico Maggiore
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
| | - Manuel Baltieri
- Laboratory for Neural Computation and Adaptation, RIKEN Centre for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Japan.
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
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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: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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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8
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Ebbesen CL, Insanally MN, Kopec CD, Murakami M, Saiki A, Erlich JC. More than Just a "Motor": Recent Surprises from the Frontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9402-9413. [PMID: 30381432 PMCID: PMC6209835 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1671-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor and premotor cortices are crucial for the control of movements. However, we still know little about how these areas contribute to higher-order motor control, such as deciding which movements to make and when to make them. Here we focus on rodent studies and review recent findings, which suggest that-in addition to motor control-neurons in motor cortices play a role in sensory integration, behavioral strategizing, working memory, and decision-making. We suggest that these seemingly disparate functions may subserve an evolutionarily conserved role in sensorimotor cognition and that further study of rodent motor cortices could make a major contribution to our understanding of the evolution and function of the mammalian frontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian L Ebbesen
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016,
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Michele N Insanally
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Charles D Kopec
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
| | - Masayoshi Murakami
- Department of Neurophysiology, Division of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Akiko Saiki
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 734-8553, Japan
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Jeffrey C Erlich
- New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China 200122
- NYU-ECNU Institute for Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China 200062, and
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China 200062
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9
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Abstract
The motor cortex is a large frontal structure in the cerebral cortex of eutherian mammals. A vast array of evidence implicates the motor cortex in the volitional control of motor output, but how does the motor cortex exert this 'control'? Historically, ideas regarding motor cortex function have been shaped by the discovery of cortical 'motor maps' - that is, ordered representations of stimulation-evoked movements in anaesthetized animals. Volitional control, however, entails the initiation of movements and the ability to suppress undesired movements. In this article, we highlight classic and recent findings that emphasize that motor cortex neurons have a role in both processes.
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10
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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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11
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Sreenivasan V, Esmaeili V, Kiritani T, Galan K, Crochet S, Petersen CCH. Movement Initiation Signals in Mouse Whisker Motor Cortex. Neuron 2016; 92:1368-1382. [PMID: 28009277 PMCID: PMC5196025 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Frontal cortex plays a central role in the control of voluntary movements, which are typically guided by sensory input. Here, we investigate the function of mouse whisker primary motor cortex (wM1), a frontal region defined by dense innervation from whisker primary somatosensory cortex (wS1). Optogenetic stimulation of wM1 evokes rhythmic whisker protraction (whisking), whereas optogenetic inactivation of wM1 suppresses initiation of whisking. Whole-cell membrane potential recordings and silicon probe recordings of action potentials reveal layer-specific neuronal activity in wM1 at movement initiation, and encoding of fast and slow parameters of movements during whisking. Interestingly, optogenetic inactivation of wS1 caused hyperpolarization and reduced firing in wM1, together with reduced whisking. Optogenetic stimulation of wS1 drove activity in wM1 with complex dynamics, as well as evoking long-latency, wM1-dependent whisking. Our results advance understanding of a well-defined frontal region and point to an important role for sensory input in controlling motor cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Sreenivasan
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Vahid Esmaeili
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Taro Kiritani
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Katia Galan
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Crochet
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carl C H Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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12
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Ebbesen CL, Doron G, Lenschow C, Brecht M. Vibrissa motor cortex activity suppresses contralateral whisking behavior. Nat Neurosci 2016; 20:82-89. [PMID: 27798633 PMCID: PMC6485366 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Anatomical, stimulation and lesion data implicate vibrissa motor cortex in whisker motor control. Work on motor cortex focused on movement generation, but correlations between vibrissa motor cortex activity and whisking are weak. The exact role of vibrissa motor cortex remains unknown. We recorded vibrissa motor cortex neurons during various forms of vibrissal touch, which were invariably associated with whisker protraction and movement. Free whisking, object palpation and social touch all resulted in decreased cortical activity. To understand this activity decrease, we performed juxtacellular recordings, nanostimulation and in vivo whole-cell-recordings. Social facial touch resulted in decreased spiking activity, decreased cell excitability and membrane hyperpolarization. Activation of vibrissa motor cortex by intra-cortical microstimulation elicited whisker retraction, as if to abort vibrissal touch. Various vibrissa motor cortex inactivation protocols resulted in contralateral protraction and increased whisker movements. These data collectively point to movement suppression as a prime function of vibrissa motor cortex activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Laut Ebbesen
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Guy Doron
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Constanze Lenschow
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Brecht
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Kleinfeld D, Moore JD, Wang F, Deschênes M. The Brainstem Oscillator for Whisking and the Case for Breathing as the Master Clock for Orofacial Motor Actions. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2015; 79:29-39. [PMID: 25876629 PMCID: PMC4924579 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2014.79.024794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Whisking and sniffing are predominant aspects of exploratory behavior in rodents. We review evidence that these motor rhythms are coordinated by the respiratory patterning circuitry in the ventral medulla. A recently described region in the intermediate reticular zone of the medulla functions as an autonomous whisking oscillator, whose neuronal output is reset upon each breath by input from the pre-Bötzinger complex. Based on similarities between this neuronal circuit architecture and that of other orofacial behaviors, we propose that the pre-Bötzinger complex, which projects broadly to premotor regions throughout the intermediate reticular zone of the medulla, functions as a master clock to coordinate multiple orofacial actions involved in exploratory and ingestive behaviors. We then extend the analysis of whisking to the relatively slow control of the midpoint of the whisk. We conjecture, in a manner consistent with breathing as the "master clock" for all orofacial behaviors, that slow control optimizes the position of sensors whereas the breathing rhythm provides a means to perceptually bind the inputs from different orofacial modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 Section of Neurobiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Jeffrey D Moore
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Martin Deschênes
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec GIJ 2G3, Canada
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14
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Voigts J, Herman DH, Celikel T. Tactile object localization by anticipatory whisker motion. J Neurophysiol 2014; 113:620-32. [PMID: 25339711 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00241.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents use rhythmic protractions of their whiskers to locate objects in space. The amplitude of these protractions is reduced when whiskers contact objects, leading to a tendency of whiskers to only lightly touch the environment. While the impact of this process on the sensory input has been studied, little is known about how sensory input causes this change in the motor pattern. Here, using high-speed imaging of whisking in mice, we simultaneously measured whisker contacts and the resulting whisking motion. We found that mice precisely target their whisker protractions to the distance at which they expect objects. This modulation does not depend on the current sensory input and remains stable for at least one whisking cycle when there is no object contact or when the object position is changed. As a result, the timing and other information carried by whisker contacts encodes how well each protraction was matched to the object, functioning as an error signal. Whisker contacts can thus encode a mismatch between expected object locations and the actual environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Voigts
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Plasticity, USC, Los Angeles, California
| | - David H Herman
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Plasticity, USC, Los Angeles, California; Neuroscience Graduate Program, USC, Los Angeles, California; and
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl C.H. Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;
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16
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Moore JD, Kleinfeld D, Wang F. How the brainstem controls orofacial behaviors comprised of rhythmic actions. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:370-80. [PMID: 24890196 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Revised: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Mammals perform a multitude of well-coordinated orofacial behaviors such as breathing, sniffing, chewing, licking, swallowing, vocalizing, and in rodents, whisking. The coordination of these actions must occur without fault to prevent fatal blockages of the airway. Deciphering the neuronal circuitry that controls even a single action requires understanding the integration of sensory feedback and executive commands. A far greater challenge is to understand the coordination of multiple actions. Here, we focus on brainstem circuits that drive rhythmic orofacial actions. We discuss three neural computational mechanisms that may enable circuits for different actions to operate without interfering with each other. We conclude with proposed experimental programs for delineating the neural control principles that have evolved to coordinate orofacial behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Moore
- Graduate Program in Neurosciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Physics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Graduate Program in Neurosciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Physics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Section on Neurobiology, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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17
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Rhythmic whisking area (RW) in rat primary motor cortex: an internal monitor of movement-related signals? J Neurosci 2013; 33:14193-204. [PMID: 23986253 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0337-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Vibrissae-related sensorimotor cortex controls whisking movements indirectly via modulation of lower-level sensorimotor loops and a brainstem central pattern generator (CPG). Two different whisker representations in primary motor cortex (vM1) affect whisker movements in different ways. Prolonged microstimulation in RF, a larger anterior subregion of vM1, gives rise to complex face movements and whisker retraction while the same stimulation evokes large-amplitude rhythmic whisker movement in a small caudo-medial area (RW). To characterize the motor cortex representation of explorative whisking movements, here we recorded RW units in head-fixed rats trained to contact a moving object with one whisker. RW single units were found to encode two aspects of whisker movement independently, albeit on slow time scales (hundreds of milliseconds). The first is whisker position. The second consists of speed (absolute velocity), intensity (instantaneous power), and frequency (spectral centroid). The coding for the latter three parameters was tightly correlated and realized by a continuum of RW responses-ranging from a preference of movement to a preference of rest. Information theory analysis indicated that RW spikes carry most information about position and frequency, while intensity and speed are less well represented. Further, investigating multiple and single RW units, we found a lack of phase locking, movement anticipation, and contact-related tactile responses. These findings suggest that RW neither programs detailed whisker trajectories nor initiates them. Nor does it play a role in processing object touch. Its relationship to whisking is thus indirect and may be related to movement monitoring, perhaps using feedback from the CPG.
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18
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A disinhibitory circuit mediates motor integration in the somatosensory cortex. Nat Neurosci 2013; 16:1662-70. [PMID: 24097044 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 517] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The influence of motor activity on sensory processing is crucial for perception and motor execution. However, the underlying circuits are not known. To unravel the circuit by which activity in the primary vibrissal motor cortex (vM1) modulates sensory processing in the primary somatosensory barrel cortex (S1), we used optogenetics to examine the long-range inputs from vM1 to the various neuronal elements in S1. We found that S1-projecting vM1 pyramidal neurons strongly recruited vasointestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing GABAergic interneurons, a subset of serotonin receptor-expressing interneurons. These VIP interneurons preferentially inhibited somatostatin-expressing interneurons, neurons that target the distal dendrites of pyramidal cells. Consistent with this vM1-mediated disinhibitory circuit, the activity of VIP interneurons in vivo increased and that of somatostatin interneurons decreased during whisking. These changes in firing rates during whisking depended on vM1 activity. Our results suggest previously unknown circuitry by which inputs from motor cortex influence sensory processing in sensory cortex.
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19
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Mitchinson B, Prescott TJ. Whisker movements reveal spatial attention: a unified computational model of active sensing control in the rat. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003236. [PMID: 24086120 PMCID: PMC3784505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is most often investigated in the visual modality through measurement of eye movements, with primates, including humans, a widely-studied model. Its study in laboratory rodents, such as mice and rats, requires different techniques, owing to the lack of a visual fovea and the particular ethological relevance of orienting movements of the snout and the whiskers in these animals. In recent years, several reliable relationships have been observed between environmental and behavioural variables and movements of the whiskers, but the function of these responses, as well as how they integrate, remains unclear. Here, we propose a unifying abstract model of whisker movement control that has as its key variable the region of space that is the animal's current focus of attention, and demonstrate, using computer-simulated behavioral experiments, that the model is consistent with a broad range of experimental observations. A core hypothesis is that the rat explicitly decodes the location in space of whisker contacts and that this representation is used to regulate whisker drive signals. This proposition stands in contrast to earlier proposals that the modulation of whisker movement during exploration is mediated primarily by reflex loops. We go on to argue that the superior colliculus is a candidate neural substrate for the siting of a head-centred map guiding whisker movement, in analogy to current models of visual attention. The proposed model has the potential to offer a more complete understanding of whisker control as well as to highlight the potential of the rodent and its whiskers as a tool for the study of mammalian attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Mitchinson
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Tony J. Prescott
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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20
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Zagha E, Casale AE, Sachdev RNS, McGinley MJ, McCormick DA. Motor cortex feedback influences sensory processing by modulating network state. Neuron 2013; 79:567-78. [PMID: 23850595 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Long-range corticocortical communication may have important roles in context-dependent sensory processing, yet we know very little about how these pathways influence their target regions. We studied the influence of primary motor cortex activity on primary somatosensory cortex in the mouse whisker system. We show that primary motor and somatosensory cortices undergo coherent, context-dependent changes in network state. Moreover, we show that motor cortex activity can drive changes in somatosensory cortex network state. A series of experiments demonstrate the involvement of the direct corticocortical feedback pathway, providing temporally precise and spatially targeted modulation of network dynamics. Cortically mediated changes in network state significantly impact sensory coding, with activated states increasing the reliability of responses to complex stimuli. By influencing network state, corticocortical communication from motor cortex may ensure that during active exploration the relevant sensory region is primed for enhanced sensory discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Zagha
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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21
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Goldin MA, Alonso LM, Alliende JA, Goller F, Mindlin GB. Temperature induced syllable breaking unveils nonlinearly interacting timescales in birdsong motor pathway. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67814. [PMID: 23818988 PMCID: PMC3688611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The nature of telencephalic control over premotor and motor circuits is debated. Hypotheses range from complete usurping of downstream circuitry to highly interactive mechanisms of control. We show theoretically and experimentally, that telencephalic song motor control in canaries is consistent with a highly interactive strategy. As predicted from a theoretical model of respiratory control, mild cooling of a forebrain nucleus (HVC) led to song stretching, but further cooling caused progressive restructuring of song, consistent with the hypothesis that respiratory gestures are subharmonic responses to a timescale present in the output of HVC. This interaction between a life-sustaining motor function (respiration) and telencephalic song motor control suggests a more general mechanism of how nonlinear integration of evolutionarily new brain structures into existing circuitry gives rise to diverse, new behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías A Goldin
- Laboratorio de Sistemas Dinámicos, Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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22
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Kinnischtzke AK, Simons DJ, Fanselow EE. Motor cortex broadly engages excitatory and inhibitory neurons in somatosensory barrel cortex. Cereb Cortex 2013; 24:2237-48. [PMID: 23547136 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anatomical studies have shown that primary somatosensory (S1) and primary motor (M1) cortices are reciprocally connected. The M1 to S1 projection is thought to represent a modulatory signal that conveys motor-related information to S1. Here, we investigated M1 synaptic inputs to S1 by injecting an AAV virus containing channelrhodopsin-2 and a fluorescent tag into M1. Consistent with previous results, we found labeling of M1 axons within S1 that was most robust in the deep layers and in L1. Labeling was sparse in L4 and was concentrated in the interbarrel septa, largely avoiding barrel centers. In S1, we recorded in vitro from regular-spiking excitatory neurons and fast-spiking and somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons. All 3 cell types had a high probability of receiving direct excitatory M1 input. Both excitatory and inhibitory cells within L4 were the least likely to receive such input from M1. Disynaptic inhibition was observed frequently, indicating that M1 recruits substantial inhibition within S1. Additionally, a subpopulation of L6 regular-spiking excitatory neurons received exceptionally strong M1 input. Overall, our results suggest that activation of M1 evokes within S1 a bombardment of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity that could contribute in a layer-specific manner to state-dependent changes in S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K Kinnischtzke
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Daniel J Simons
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Erika E Fanselow
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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23
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Pashaie R, Falk R. Spectral analysis of whisking output via optogenetic modulation of vibrissa cortex in rat. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 4:122-33. [PMID: 23304652 PMCID: PMC3539193 DOI: 10.1364/boe.4.000122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 10/13/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Whisking motor output in awake and freely moving rat is investigated with optogenetic excitation/inhibition of the vibrissae motor cortex (vMCx) layer V. The goal of the study is to establish the direct causal relationship between the cortical activity and the whisking output using optical stimulation, excitatory or inhibitory, with different frequencies. Progression and reduction of the whisking frequency was obtained; however, the whisking frequency did not necessarily followed the entrainment stimulus. Based on our observations, the excitation of the vMCx doubled and inhibition reduced the whisking frequency to half, compared to control, at all stimulus frequencies. This result is an empirical evidence that the cortex exerted control through a central pattern generator structure since complete inhibition was not obtained and the frequency of the response was different from that of the stimulus. We suggest that the use of the optogenetic approach, which enabled us to perform the bidirectional modulation and direct readout from vMCx, has brought valid evidence for the causal connection between cortical activity and whisking motor output.
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24
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Kleinfeld D, Deschênes M. Neuronal basis for object location in the vibrissa scanning sensorimotor system. Neuron 2011; 72:455-68. [PMID: 22078505 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
An essential issue in perception is how the location of an object is estimated from tactile signals in the context of self-generated changes in sensor configuration. Here, we review the pathways and dynamics of neuronal signals that encode touch in the rodent vibrissa sensorimotor system. Rodents rhythmically scan an array of long, facial hairs across a region of interest. Behavioral evidence shows that these animals maintain knowledge of the azimuthal position of their vibrissae. Electrophysiological measurements have identified a reafferent signal of the azimuth that is coded in normalized coordinates, broadcast throughout primary sensory cortex and provides strong modulation of signals of vibrissa contact. Efferent signals in motor cortex report the range of the scan. Collectively, these signals allow the rodent to form a percept of object location.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics and Section of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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