Distributed and specific encoding of sensory, motor, and decision information in the mouse neocortex during goal-directed behavior

Autor: Anastasiia Oryshchuk, Christos Sourmpis, Julie Weverbergh, Reza Asri, Vahid Esmaeili, Alireza Modirshanechi, Wulfram Gerstner, Carl C.H. Petersen, Sylvain Crochet
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cell Reports, Vol 43, Iss 1, Pp 113618- (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2211-1247
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113618
Popis: Summary: Goal-directed behaviors involve coordinated activity in many cortical areas, but whether the encoding of task variables is distributed across areas or is more specifically represented in distinct areas remains unclear. Here, we compared representations of sensory, motor, and decision information in the whisker primary somatosensory cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and tongue-jaw primary motor cortex in mice trained to lick in response to a whisker stimulus with mice that were not taught this association. Irrespective of learning, properties of the sensory stimulus were best encoded in the sensory cortex, whereas fine movement kinematics were best represented in the motor cortex. However, movement initiation and the decision to lick in response to the whisker stimulus were represented in all three areas, with decision neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex being more selective, showing minimal sensory responses in miss trials and motor responses during spontaneous licks. Our results reconcile previous studies indicating highly specific vs. highly distributed sensorimotor processing.
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