1
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Gauld OM, Packer AM, Russell LE, Dalgleish HWP, Iuga M, Sacadura F, Roth A, Clark BA, Häusser M. A latent pool of neurons silenced by sensory-evoked inhibition can be recruited to enhance perception. Neuron 2024; 112:2386-2403.e6. [PMID: 38729150 PMCID: PMC7616379 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.015] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
To investigate which activity patterns in sensory cortex are relevant for perceptual decision-making, we combined two-photon calcium imaging and targeted two-photon optogenetics to interrogate barrel cortex activity during perceptual discrimination. We trained mice to discriminate bilateral whisker deflections and report decisions by licking left or right. Two-photon calcium imaging revealed sparse coding of contralateral and ipsilateral whisker input in layer 2/3, with most neurons remaining silent during the task. Activating pyramidal neurons using two-photon holographic photostimulation evoked a perceptual bias that scaled with the number of neurons photostimulated. This effect was dominated by optogenetic activation of non-coding neurons, which did not show sensory or motor-related activity during task performance. Photostimulation also revealed potent recruitment of cortical inhibition during sensory processing, which strongly and preferentially suppressed non-coding neurons. Our results suggest that a pool of non-coding neurons, selectively suppressed by network inhibition during sensory processing, can be recruited to enhance perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver M Gauld
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London W1T 4JG, UK.
| | - Adam M Packer
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Lloyd E Russell
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Henry W P Dalgleish
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Maya Iuga
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Francisco Sacadura
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Arnd Roth
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Beverley A Clark
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Michael Häusser
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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2
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Panniello M, Gillon CJ, Maffulli R, Celotto M, Richards BA, Panzeri S, Kohl MM. Stimulus information guides the emergence of behavior-related signals in primary somatosensory cortex during learning. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114244. [PMID: 38796851 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114244] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the primary cortex carry sensory- and behavior-related information, but it remains an open question how this information emerges and intersects together during learning. Current evidence points to two possible learning-related changes: sensory information increases in the primary cortex or sensory information remains stable, but its readout efficiency in association cortices increases. We investigated this question by imaging neuronal activity in mouse primary somatosensory cortex before, during, and after learning of an object localization task. We quantified sensory- and behavior-related information and estimated how much sensory information was used to instruct perceptual choices as learning progressed. We find that sensory information increases from the start of training, while choice information is mostly present in the later stages of learning. Additionally, the readout of sensory information becomes more efficient with learning as early as in the primary sensory cortex. Together, our results highlight the importance of primary cortical neurons in perceptual learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Panniello
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK; School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Colleen J Gillon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada; Mila, Montréal, QC H2S 3H1, Canada
| | - Roberto Maffulli
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Marco Celotto
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy; Institute of Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Blake A Richards
- Mila, Montréal, QC H2S 3H1, Canada; School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, Canada; Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada; Learning in Machines and Brains Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy; Institute of Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael M Kohl
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK; School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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3
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Hirokane K, Nakamura T, Terashita T, Kubota Y, Hu D, Yagi T, Graybiel AM, Kitsukawa T. Representation of rhythmic chunking in striatum of mice executing complex continuous movement sequences. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114312. [PMID: 38848217 PMCID: PMC11262464 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114312] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
We used a step-wheel system to examine the activity of striatal projection neurons as mice practiced stepping on complexly arranged foothold pegs in this Ferris-wheel-like device to receive reward. Sets of dorsolateral striatal projection neurons were sensitive to specific parameters of repetitive motor coordination during the runs. They responded to combinations of the parameters of continuous movements (interval, phase, and repetition), forming "chunking responses"-some for combinations of these parameters across multiple body parts. Recordings in sensorimotor cortical areas exhibited notably fewer such responses but were documented for smaller neuron sets whose heterogeneity was significant. Striatal movement encoding via chunking responsivity could provide insight into neural strategies governing effective motor control by the striatum. It is possible that the striking need for external rhythmic cuing to allow movement sequences by Parkinson's patients could, at least in part, reflect dysfunction in such striatal coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kojiro Hirokane
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan; McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Toru Nakamura
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takuma Terashita
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuo Kubota
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Dan Hu
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Takeshi Yagi
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ann M Graybiel
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Takashi Kitsukawa
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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4
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Dimwamwa ED, Pala A, Chundru V, Wright NC, Stanley GB. Dynamic corticothalamic modulation of the somatosensory thalamocortical circuit during wakefulness. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3529. [PMID: 38664415 PMCID: PMC11045850 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47863-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The feedback projections from cortical layer 6 (L6CT) to the sensory thalamus have long been implicated in playing a primary role in gating sensory signaling but remain poorly understood. To causally elucidate the full range of effects of these projections, we targeted silicon probe recordings to the whisker thalamocortical circuit of awake mice selectively expressing Channelrhodopsin-2 in L6CT neurons. Through optogenetic manipulation of L6CT neurons, multi-site electrophysiological recordings, and modeling of L6CT circuitry, we establish L6CT neurons as dynamic modulators of ongoing spiking in the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus (VPm), either suppressing or enhancing VPm spiking depending on L6CT neurons' firing rate and synchrony. Differential effects across the cortical excitatory and inhibitory sub-populations point to an overall influence of L6CT feedback on cortical excitability that could have profound implications for regulating sensory signaling across a range of ethologically relevant conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaida D Dimwamwa
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aurélie Pala
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vivek Chundru
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nathaniel C Wright
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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5
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Taub DG, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Carroll A, Greene C, Blanchard MR, Jain A, El-Rifai M, Callen A, Yager K, Chung C, He Z, Chen C, Woolf CJ. The secondary somatosensory cortex gates mechanical and heat sensitivity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1289. [PMID: 38346995 PMCID: PMC10861531 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45729-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is vital for the processing and perception of sensory stimuli. In the somatosensory axis, information is received primarily by two distinct regions, the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices. Top-down circuits stemming from S1 can modulate mechanical and cooling but not heat stimuli such that circuit inhibition causes blunted perception. This suggests that responsiveness to particular somatosensory stimuli occurs in a modality specific fashion and we sought to determine additional cortical substrates. In this work, we identify in a mouse model that inhibition of S2 output increases mechanical and heat, but not cooling sensitivity, in contrast to S1. Combining 2-photon anatomical reconstruction with chemogenetic inhibition of specific S2 circuits, we discover that S2 projections to the secondary motor cortex (M2) govern mechanical and heat sensitivity without affecting motor performance or anxiety. Taken together, we show that S2 is an essential cortical structure that governs mechanical and heat sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Taub
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qiufen Jiang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francesca Pietrafesa
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junfeng Su
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aloe Carroll
- College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caitlin Greene
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Aakanksha Jain
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mahmoud El-Rifai
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexis Callen
- Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Katherine Yager
- Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Clara Chung
- Department of Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhigang He
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chinfei Chen
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clifford J Woolf
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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6
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Dimwamwa E, Pala A, Chundru V, Wright NC, Stanley GB. Dynamic corticothalamic modulation of the somatosensory thalamocortical circuit during wakefulness. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.07.18.549491. [PMID: 37503253 PMCID: PMC10370106 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.18.549491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The feedback projections from cortical layer 6 (L6CT) to sensory thalamus have long been implicated in playing a primary role in gating sensory signaling but remain poorly understood. To causally elucidate the full range of effects of these projections, we targeted silicon probe recordings to the whisker thalamocortical circuit of awake mice selectively expressing Channelrhodopsin-2 in L6CT neurons. Through optogenetic manipulation of L6CT neurons, multi-site electrophysiological recordings, and modeling of L6CT circuitry, we establish L6CT neurons as dynamic modulators of ongoing spiking in the ventro-posterior-medial nucleus of thalamus (VPm), either suppressing or enhancing VPm spiking depending on L6CT neurons' firing rate and synchrony. Differential effects across the cortical excitatory and inhibitory sub-populations point to an overall influence of L6CT feedback on cortical excitability that could have profound implications for regulating sensory signaling across a range of ethologically relevant conditions.
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7
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Weiss DA, Borsa AM, Pala A, Sederberg AJ, Stanley GB. A machine learning approach for real-time cortical state estimation. J Neural Eng 2024; 21:016016. [PMID: 38232377 PMCID: PMC10868597 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad1f7b] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Objective.Cortical function is under constant modulation by internally-driven, latent variables that regulate excitability, collectively known as 'cortical state'. Despite a vast literature in this area, the estimation of cortical state remains relatively ad hoc, and not amenable to real-time implementation. Here, we implement robust, data-driven, and fast algorithms that address several technical challenges for online cortical state estimation.Approach. We use unsupervised Gaussian mixture models to identify discrete, emergent clusters in spontaneous local field potential signals in cortex. We then extend our approach to a temporally-informed hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) with Gaussian observations to better model and infer cortical state transitions. Finally, we implement our HSMM cortical state inference algorithms in a real-time system, evaluating their performance in emulation experiments.Main results. Unsupervised clustering approaches reveal emergent state-like structure in spontaneous electrophysiological data that recapitulate arousal-related cortical states as indexed by behavioral indicators. HSMMs enable cortical state inferences in a real-time context by modeling the temporal dynamics of cortical state switching. Using HSMMs provides robustness to state estimates arising from noisy, sequential electrophysiological data.Significance. To our knowledge, this work represents the first implementation of a real-time software tool for continuously decoding cortical states with high temporal resolution (40 ms). The software tools that we provide can facilitate our understanding of how cortical states dynamically modulate cortical function on a moment-by-moment basis and provide a basis for state-aware brain machine interfaces across health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Weiss
- Program in Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Adriano Mf Borsa
- Program in Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Aurélie Pala
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Audrey J Sederberg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
- Medical Discovery Team in Optical Imaging and Brain Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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8
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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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9
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Montanari R, Alegre-Cortés J, Alonso-Andrés A, Cabrera-Moreno J, Navarro I, García-Frigola C, Sáez M, Reig R. Callosal inputs generate side-invariant receptive fields in the barrel cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi3728. [PMID: 38019920 PMCID: PMC10686559 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Barrel cortex integrates contra- and ipsilateral whiskers' inputs. While contralateral inputs depend on the thalamocortical innervation, ipsilateral ones are thought to rely on callosal axons. These are more abundant in the barrel cortex region bordering with S2 and containing the row A-whiskers representation, the row lying nearest to the facial midline. Here, we ask what role this callosal axonal arrangement plays in ipsilateral tactile signaling. We found that novel object exploration with ipsilateral whiskers confines c-Fos expression within the highly callosal subregion. Targeting this area with in vivo patch-clamp recordings revealed neurons with uniquely strong ipsilateral responses dependent on the corpus callosum, as assessed by tetrodotoxin silencing and by optogenetic activation of the contralateral hemisphere. Still, in this area, stimulation of contra- or ipsilateral row A-whiskers evoked an indistinguishable response in some neurons, mostly located in layers 5/6, indicating their involvement in the midline representation of the whiskers' sensory space.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jorge Cabrera-Moreno
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
| | | | - Cristina García-Frigola
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
| | - María Sáez
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
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10
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Taub DG, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Greene C, Blanchard MR, Jain A, El-Rifai M, Callen A, Yager K, Chung C, He Z, Chen C, Woolf CJ. The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2976953. [PMID: 37461707 PMCID: PMC10350168 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2976953/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is vital for the perception and processing of sensory stimuli. In the somatosensory axis, information is received by two distinct regions, the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices. Top-down circuits stemming from S1 can modulate mechanical and cooling but not heat stimuli such that circuit inhibition causes blunted mechanical and cooling perception. Using optogenetics and chemogenetics, we find that in contrast to S1, an inhibition of S2 output increases mechanical and heat, but not cooling sensitivity. Combining 2-photon anatomical reconstruction with chemogenetic inhibition of specific S2 circuits, we discover that S2 projections to the secondary motor cortex (M2) govern mechanical and thermal sensitivity without affecting motor or cognitive function. This suggests that while S2, like S1, encodes specific sensory information, that S2 operates through quite distinct neural substrates to modulate responsiveness to particular somatosensory stimuli and that somatosensory cortical encoding occurs in a largely parallel fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Taub
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qiufen Jiang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francesca Pietrafesa
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junfeng Su
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caitlin Greene
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Aakanksha Jain
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mahmoud El-Rifai
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexis Callen
- Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Katherine Yager
- Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Clara Chung
- Department of Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhigang He
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chinfei Chen
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clifford J. Woolf
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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11
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Jung C, Kim J, Park K. Cognitive and affective interaction with somatosensory afference in acupuncture-a specific brain response to compound stimulus. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1105703. [PMID: 37415858 PMCID: PMC10321409 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1105703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Acupuncture is a clinical intervention consisting of multiple stimulus components, including somatosensory stimulation and manipulation of therapeutic context. Existing findings in neuroscience consolidated cognitive modulation to somatosensory afferent process, which could differ from placebo mechanism in brain. Here, we aimed to identify intrinsic process of brain interactions induced by compound stimulus of acupuncture treatment. Methods To separately and comprehensively investigate somatosensory afferent and cognitive/affective processes in brain, we implemented a novel experimental protocol of contextual manipulation with somatosensory stimulation (real acupuncture: REAL) and only contextual manipulation (phantom acupuncture: PHNT) for fMRI scan, and conducted independent component (IC)-wise assessment with the concatenated fMRI data. Results By our double (experimentally and analytically) dissociation, two ICs (CA1: executive control, CA2: goal-directed sensory process) for cognitive/affective modulation (associated with both REAL and PHNT) and other two ICs (SA1: interoceptive attention and motor-reaction, SA2: somatosensory representation) for somatosensory afference (associated with only REAL) were identified. Moreover, coupling between SA1 and SA2 was associated with a decreased heart rate during stimulation, whereas CA1 was associated with a delayed heart rate decrease post-stimulation. Furthermore, partial correlation network for these components demonstrated a bi-directional interaction between CA1 and SA1/SA2, suggesting the cognitive modulation to somatosensory process. The expectation for the treatment negatively affected CA1 but positively affected SA1 in REAL, whereas the expectation positively affected CA1 in PHNT. Discussion These specific cognitive-somatosensory interaction in REAL were differed from vicarious sensation mechanism in PHNT; and might be associated with a characteristic of acupuncture, which induces voluntary attention for interoception. Our findings on brain interactions in acupuncture treatment elucidated the underlying brain mechanisms for compound stimulus of somatosensory afferent and therapeutic contextual manipulation, which might be a specific response to acupuncture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjin Jung
- Department of Electronics and Information Convergence Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea
- Division of KM Science Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Kim
- Division of KM Science Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungmo Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea
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Taub DG, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Greene C, Blanchard MR, Jain A, El-Rifai M, Callen A, Yager K, Chung C, He Z, Chen C, Woolf CJ. The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.19.541449. [PMID: 37293011 PMCID: PMC10245795 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.19.541449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is vital for the perception and processing of sensory stimuli. In the somatosensory axis, information is received by two distinct regions, the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices. Top-down circuits stemming from S1 can modulate mechanical and cooling but not heat stimuli such that circuit inhibition causes blunted mechanical and cooling perception. Using optogenetics and chemogenetics, we find that in contrast to S1, an inhibition of S2 output increases mechanical and heat, but not cooling sensitivity. Combining 2-photon anatomical reconstruction with chemogenetic inhibition of specific S2 circuits, we discover that S2 projections to the secondary motor cortex (M2) govern mechanical and thermal sensitivity without affecting motor or cognitive function. This suggests that while S2, like S1, encodes specific sensory information, that S2 operates through quite distinct neural substrates to modulate responsiveness to particular somatosensory stimuli and that somatosensory cortical encoding occurs in a largely parallel fashion.
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Zhang Z, Zagha E. Motor cortex gates distractor stimulus encoding in sensory cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2097. [PMID: 37055425 PMCID: PMC10102016 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37848-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Suppressing responses to distractor stimuli is a fundamental cognitive function, essential for performing goal-directed tasks. A common framework for the neuronal implementation of distractor suppression is the attenuation of distractor stimuli from early sensory to higher-order processing. However, details of the localization and mechanisms of attenuation are poorly understood. We trained mice to selectively respond to target stimuli in one whisker field and ignore distractor stimuli in the opposite whisker field. During expert task performance, optogenetic inhibition of whisker motor cortex increased the overall tendency to respond and the detection of distractor whisker stimuli. Within sensory cortex, optogenetic inhibition of whisker motor cortex enhanced the propagation of distractor stimuli into target-preferring neurons. Single unit analyses revealed that whisker motor cortex (wMC) decorrelates target and distractor stimulus encoding in target-preferring primary somatosensory cortex (S1) neurons, which likely improves selective target stimulus detection by downstream readers. Moreover, we observed proactive top-down modulation from wMC to S1, through the differential activation of putative excitatory and inhibitory neurons before stimulus onset. Overall, our studies support a contribution of motor cortex to sensory selection, in suppressing behavioral responses to distractor stimuli by gating distractor stimulus propagation within sensory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoran Zhang
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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English G, Ghasemi Nejad N, Sommerfelt M, Yanik MF, von der Behrens W. Bayesian surprise shapes neural responses in somatosensory cortical circuits. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112009. [PMID: 36701237 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous psychophysical studies show that Bayesian inference governs sensory decision-making; however, the specific neural circuitry underlying this probabilistic mechanism remains unclear. We record extracellular neural activity along the somatosensory pathway of mice while delivering sensory stimulation paradigms designed to isolate the response to the surprise generated by Bayesian inference. Our results demonstrate that laminar cortical circuits in early sensory areas encode Bayesian surprise. Systematic sensitivity to surprise is not identified in the somatosensory thalamus, rather emerging in the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices. Multiunit spiking activity and evoked potentials in layer 6 of these regions exhibit the highest sensitivity to surprise. Gamma power in S1 layer 2/3 exhibits an NMDAR-dependent scaling with surprise, as does alpha power in layers 2/3 and 6 of S2. These results show a precise spatiotemporal neural representation of Bayesian surprise and suggest that Bayesian inference is a fundamental component of cortical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwendolyn English
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; ZNZ Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Newsha Ghasemi Nejad
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; ZNZ Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Sommerfelt
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mehmet Fatih Yanik
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; ZNZ Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wolfger von der Behrens
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; ZNZ Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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