1
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Hochbaum DR, Hulshof L, Urke A, Wang W, Dubinsky AC, Farnsworth HC, Hakim R, Lin S, Kleinberg G, Robertson K, Park C, Solberg A, Yang Y, Baynard C, Nadaf NM, Beron CC, Girasole AE, Chantranupong L, Cortopassi MD, Prouty S, Geistlinger L, Banks AS, Scanlan TS, Datta SR, Greenberg ME, Boulting GL, Macosko EZ, Sabatini BL. Thyroid hormone remodels cortex to coordinate body-wide metabolism and exploration. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00835-3. [PMID: 39178853 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Animals adapt to environmental conditions by modifying the function of their internal organs, including the brain. To be adaptive, alterations in behavior must be coordinated with the functional state of organs throughout the body. Here, we find that thyroid hormone-a regulator of metabolism in many peripheral organs-directly activates cell-type-specific transcriptional programs in the frontal cortex of adult male mice. These programs are enriched for axon-guidance genes in glutamatergic projection neurons, synaptic regulatory genes in both astrocytes and neurons, and pro-myelination factors in oligodendrocytes, suggesting widespread plasticity of cortical circuits. Indeed, whole-cell electrophysiology revealed that thyroid hormone alters excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, an effect that requires thyroid hormone-induced gene regulatory programs in presynaptic neurons. Furthermore, thyroid hormone action in the frontal cortex regulates innate exploratory behaviors and causally promotes exploratory decision-making. Thus, thyroid hormone acts directly on the cerebral cortex in males to coordinate exploratory behaviors with whole-body metabolic state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Hochbaum
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Society of Fellows, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lauren Hulshof
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amanda Urke
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wengang Wang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexandra C Dubinsky
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hannah C Farnsworth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Richard Hakim
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sherry Lin
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Giona Kleinberg
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Keiramarie Robertson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Canaria Park
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alyssa Solberg
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yechan Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Caroline Baynard
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Naeem M Nadaf
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Celia C Beron
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Allison E Girasole
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lynne Chantranupong
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marissa D Cortopassi
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Shannon Prouty
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Ludwig Geistlinger
- Center for Computational Biomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Alexander S Banks
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Thomas S Scanlan
- Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | | | | | - Gabriella L Boulting
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Evan Z Macosko
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Bernardo L Sabatini
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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2
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Haimson B, Gilday OD, Lavi-Rudel A, Sagi H, Lottem E, Mizrahi A. Single neuron responses to perceptual difficulty in the mouse auditory cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadp9816. [PMID: 39141740 PMCID: PMC11323952 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp9816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Perceptual learning leads to improvement in behavioral performance, yet how the brain supports challenging perceptual demands is unknown. We used two photon imaging in the mouse primary auditory cortex during behavior in a Go-NoGo task designed to test perceptual difficulty. Using general linear model analysis, we found a subset of neurons that increased their responses during high perceptual demands. Single neurons increased their responses to both Go and NoGo sounds when mice were engaged in the more difficult perceptual discrimination. This increased responsiveness contributes to enhanced cortical network discriminability for the learned sounds. Under passive listening conditions, the same neurons responded weaker to the more similar sound pairs of the difficult task, and the training protocol by itself induced specific suppression to the learned sounds. Our findings identify how neuronal activity in auditory cortex is modulated during high perceptual demands, which is a fundamental feature associated with perceptual improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruch Haimson
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Omri David Gilday
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amichai Lavi-Rudel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Eran Lottem
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adi Mizrahi
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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3
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Gupta D, Kopec CD, Bondy AG, Luo TZ, Elliott VA, Brody CD. A multi-region recurrent circuit for evidence accumulation in rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.08.602544. [PMID: 39026895 PMCID: PMC11257434 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.08.602544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Decision-making based on noisy evidence requires accumulating evidence and categorizing it to form a choice. Here we evaluate a proposed feedforward and modular mapping of this process in rats: evidence accumulated in anterodorsal striatum (ADS) is categorized in prefrontal cortex (frontal orienting fields, FOF). Contrary to this, we show that both regions appear to be indistinguishable in their encoding/decoding of accumulator value and communicate this information bidirectionally. Consistent with a role for FOF in accumulation, silencing FOF to ADS projections impacted behavior throughout the accumulation period, even while nonselective FOF silencing did not. We synthesize these findings into a multi-region recurrent neural network trained with a novel approach. In-silico experiments reveal that multiple scales of recurrence in the cortico-striatal circuit rescue computation upon nonselective FOF perturbations. These results suggest that ADS and FOF accumulate evidence in a recurrent and distributed manner, yielding redundant representations and robustness to certain perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diksha Gupta
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
- Present address: Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charles D. Kopec
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
| | - Adrian G. Bondy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
| | - Thomas Z. Luo
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
| | - Verity A. Elliott
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
| | - Carlos D. Brody
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
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4
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Driscoll LN, Shenoy K, Sussillo D. Flexible multitask computation in recurrent networks utilizes shared dynamical motifs. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1349-1363. [PMID: 38982201 PMCID: PMC11239504 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01668-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Flexible computation is a hallmark of intelligent behavior. However, little is known about how neural networks contextually reconfigure for different computations. In the present work, we identified an algorithmic neural substrate for modular computation through the study of multitasking artificial recurrent neural networks. Dynamical systems analyses revealed learned computational strategies mirroring the modular subtask structure of the training task set. Dynamical motifs, which are recurring patterns of neural activity that implement specific computations through dynamics, such as attractors, decision boundaries and rotations, were reused across tasks. For example, tasks requiring memory of a continuous circular variable repurposed the same ring attractor. We showed that dynamical motifs were implemented by clusters of units when the unit activation function was restricted to be positive. Cluster lesions caused modular performance deficits. Motifs were reconfigured for fast transfer learning after an initial phase of learning. This work establishes dynamical motifs as a fundamental unit of compositional computation, intermediate between neuron and network. As whole-brain studies simultaneously record activity from multiple specialized systems, the dynamical motif framework will guide questions about specialization and generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Driscoll
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Krishna Shenoy
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Bio-X Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David Sussillo
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Hocker D, Constantinople CM, Savin C. Curriculum learning inspired by behavioral shaping trains neural networks to adopt animal-like decision making strategies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.12.575461. [PMID: 38318205 PMCID: PMC10843159 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Recurrent neural networks (RNN) are ubiquitously used in neuroscience to capture both neural dynamics and behaviors of living systems. However, when it comes to complex cognitive tasks, traditional methods for training RNNs can fall short in capturing crucial aspects of animal behavior. To address this challenge, we take inspiration from a commonly used (though rarely appreciated) approach from the experimental neuroscientist's toolkit: behavioral shaping. Our solution leverages task compositionality and models the animal's relevant learning experiences prior to the task. Taking as target a temporal wagering task previously studied in rats, we designed a pretraining curriculum of simpler cognitive tasks that are prerequisites for performing it well. These pretraining tasks are not just simplified versions of the temporal wagering task, but reflect relevant sub-computations. We show that this approach is required for RNNs to adopt similar strategies as rats, including long-timescale inference of latent states, which conventional pretraining approaches fail to capture. Mechanistically, our pretraining supports the development of key dynamical systems features needed for implementing both inference and value-based decision making. Overall, our approach addresses a gap in neural network model training by incorporating inductive biases of animals, which is important when modeling complex behaviors that rely on computational abilities acquired from past experiences.
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6
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Parrini M, Tricot G, Caroni P, Spolidoro M. Circuit mechanisms of navigation strategy learning in mice. Curr Biol 2024; 34:79-91.e4. [PMID: 38101403 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Navigation tasks involve the gradual selection and deployment of increasingly effective searching procedures to reach targets. The brain mechanisms underlying such complex behavior are poorly understood, but their elucidation might provide insights into the systems linking exploration and decision making in complex learning. Here, we developed a trial-by-trial goal-related search strategy analysis as mice learned to navigate identical water mazes encompassing distinct goal-related rules and monitored the strategy deployment process throughout learning. We found that navigation learning involved the following three distinct phases: an early phase during which maze-specific search strategies are deployed in a minority of trials, a second phase of preferential increasing deployment of one search strategy, and a final phase of increasing commitment to this strategy only. The three maze learning phases were affected differently by inhibition of retrosplenial cortex (RSC), dorsomedial striatum (DMS), or dorsolateral striatum (DLS). Through brain region-specific inactivation experiments and gain-of-function experiments involving activation of learning-related cFos+ ensembles, we unraveled how goal-related strategy selection relates to deployment throughout these sequential processes. We found that RSC is critically important for search strategy selection, DMS mediates strategy deployment, and DLS ensures searching consistency throughout maze learning. Notably, activation of specific learning-related ensembles was sufficient to direct strategy selection (RSC) or strategy deployment (DMS) in a different maze. Our results establish a goal-related search strategy deployment approach to dissect unsupervised navigation learning processes and suggest that effective searching in navigation involves evidence-based goal-related strategy direction by RSC, reinforcement-modulated strategy deployment through DMS, and online guidance through DLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Parrini
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Tricot
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pico Caroni
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Maria Spolidoro
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
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7
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Verhein JR, Vyas S, Shenoy KV. Methylphenidate modulates motor cortical dynamics and behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.15.562405. [PMID: 37905157 PMCID: PMC10614820 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.15.562405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Methylphenidate (MPH, brand: Ritalin) is a common stimulant used both medically and non-medically. Though typically prescribed for its cognitive effects, MPH also affects movement. While it is known that MPH noncompetitively blocks the reuptake of catecholamines through inhibition of dopamine and norepinephrine transporters, a critical step in exploring how it affects behavior is to understand how MPH directly affects neural activity. This would establish an electrophysiological mechanism of action for MPH. Since we now have biologically-grounded network-level hypotheses regarding how populations of motor cortical neurons plan and execute movements, there is a unique opportunity to make testable predictions regarding how systemic MPH administration - a pharmacological perturbation - might affect neural activity in motor cortex. To that end, we administered clinically-relevant doses of MPH to Rhesus monkeys as they performed an instructed-delay reaching task. Concomitantly, we measured neural activity from dorsal premotor and primary motor cortex. Consistent with our predictions, we found dose-dependent and significant effects on reaction time, trial-by-trial variability, and movement speed. We confirmed our hypotheses that changes in reaction time and variability were accompanied by previously established population-level changes in motor cortical preparatory activity and the condition-independent signal that precedes movements. We expected changes in speed to be a result of changes in the amplitude of motor cortical dynamics and/or a translation of those dynamics in activity space. Instead, our data are consistent with a mechanism whereby the neuromodulatory effect of MPH is to increase the gain and/or the signal-to-noise of motor cortical dynamics during reaching. Continued work in this domain to better understand the brain-wide electrophysiological mechanism of action of MPH and other psychoactive drugs could facilitate more targeted treatments for a host of cognitive-motor disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Verhein
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Current affiliations: Psychiatry Research Residency Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Saurabh Vyas
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Krishna V Shenoy
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Bio-X Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
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8
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Pennartz CMA, Oude Lohuis MN, Olcese U. How 'visual' is the visual cortex? The interactions between the visual cortex and other sensory, motivational and motor systems as enabling factors for visual perception. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220336. [PMID: 37545313 PMCID: PMC10404929 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The definition of the visual cortex is primarily based on the evidence that lesions of this area impair visual perception. However, this does not exclude that the visual cortex may process more information than of retinal origin alone, or that other brain structures contribute to vision. Indeed, research across the past decades has shown that non-visual information, such as neural activity related to reward expectation and value, locomotion, working memory and other sensory modalities, can modulate primary visual cortical responses to retinal inputs. Nevertheless, the function of this non-visual information is poorly understood. Here we review recent evidence, coming primarily from studies in rodents, arguing that non-visual and motor effects in visual cortex play a role in visual processing itself, for instance disentangling direct auditory effects on visual cortex from effects of sound-evoked orofacial movement. These findings are placed in a broader framework casting vision in terms of predictive processing under control of frontal, reward- and motor-related systems. In contrast to the prevalent notion that vision is exclusively constructed by the visual cortical system, we propose that visual percepts are generated by a larger network-the extended visual system-spanning other sensory cortices, supramodal areas and frontal systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyriel M. A. Pennartz
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthijs N. Oude Lohuis
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Umberto Olcese
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Safaai H, Wang AY, Kira S, Malerba SB, Panzeri S, Harvey CD. Specialized structure of neural population codes in parietal cortex outputs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.24.554635. [PMID: 37662297 PMCID: PMC10473762 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.24.554635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Do cortical neurons that send axonal projections to the same target area form specialized population codes for transmitting information? We used calcium imaging in mouse posterior parietal cortex (PPC), retrograde labeling, and statistical multivariate models to address this question during a delayed match-to-sample task. We found that PPC broadcasts sensory, choice, and locomotion signals widely, but sensory information is enriched in the output to anterior cingulate cortex. Neurons projecting to the same area have elevated pairwise activity correlations. These correlations are structured as information-limiting and information-enhancing interaction networks that collectively enhance information levels. This network structure is unique to sub-populations projecting to the same target and strikingly absent in surrounding neural populations with unidentified projections. Furthermore, this structure is only present when mice make correct, but not incorrect, behavioral choices. Therefore, cortical neurons comprising an output pathway form uniquely structured population codes that enhance information transmission to guide accurate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houman Safaai
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Alice Y. Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Shinichiro Kira
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Simone Blanco Malerba
- Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
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10
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Bureneva O, Safyannikov N. Strain Gauge Measuring System for Subsensory Micromotions Analysis as an Element of a Hybrid Human-Machine Interface. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:9146. [PMID: 36501849 PMCID: PMC9737066 DOI: 10.3390/s22239146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The human central nervous system is the integrative basis for the functioning of the organism. The basis of such integration is provided by the fact that the same neurons are involved in various sets of sensory, cognitive, and motor functions. Therefore, the analysis of one set of integrative system components makes it possible to draw conclusions about the state and efficiency of the other components. Thus, to evaluate a person's cognitive properties, we can assess their involuntary motor acts, i.e., a person's subsensory reactions. To measure the parameters of involuntary motor acts, we have developed a strain gauge measuring system. This system provides measurement and estimation of the parameters of involuntary movements against the background of voluntary isometric efforts. The article presents the architecture of the system and shows the organization of the primary signal processing in analog form, in particular the separation of the signal taken from the strain-gauge sensor into frequency and smoothly varying components by averaging and subtracting the analog signals. This transfer to analog form simplifies the implementation of the digital part of the measuring system and allowed for minimizing the response time of the system while displaying the isometric forces in the visual feedback channel. The article describes the realization of the system elements and shows the results of its experimental research.
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11
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Oude Lohuis MN, Marchesi P, Pennartz CMA, Olcese U. Functional (ir)Relevance of Posterior Parietal Cortex during Audiovisual Change Detection. J Neurosci 2022; 42:5229-5245. [PMID: 35641187 PMCID: PMC9236290 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2150-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays a key role in integrating sensory inputs from different modalities to support adaptive behavior. Neuronal activity in PPC reflects perceptual decision-making across behavioral tasks, but the mechanistic involvement of PPC is unclear. In an audiovisual change detection task, we tested the hypothesis that PPC is required to arbitrate between the noisy inputs from the two different modalities and help decide in which modality a sensory change occurred. In trained male mice, we found extensive single-neuron and population-level encoding of task-relevant visual and auditory stimuli, trial history, as well as upcoming behavioral responses. However, despite these rich neural correlates, which would theoretically be sufficient to solve the task, optogenetic inactivation of PPC did not affect visual or auditory performance. Thus, despite neural correlates faithfully tracking sensory variables and predicting behavioral responses, PPC was not relevant for audiovisual change detection. This functional dissociation questions the role of sensory- and task-related activity in parietal associative circuits during audiovisual change detection. Furthermore, our results highlight the necessity to dissociate functional correlates from mechanistic involvement when exploring the neural basis of perception and behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is active during many daily tasks, but capturing its function has remained challenging. Specifically, it is proposed to function as an integration hub for multisensory inputs. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, rather than classical cue integration, mouse PPC is involved in the segregation and discrimination of sensory modalities. Surprisingly, although neural activity tracked current and past sensory stimuli and reflected the ongoing decision-making process, optogenetic inactivation did not affect task performance. Thus, we show an apparent redundancy of sensory and task-related activity in mouse PPC. These results narrow down the function of parietal circuits, as well as direct the search for those neural dynamics that causally drive perceptual decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthijs N Oude Lohuis
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, SILS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018WS, The Netherlands
| | - Pietro Marchesi
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, SILS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018WS, The Netherlands
| | - Cyriel M A Pennartz
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, SILS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018WS, The Netherlands
| | - Umberto Olcese
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group, SILS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098XH, The Netherlands
- Research Priority Area Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018WS, The Netherlands
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