Functional Localization of an Attenuating Filter within Cortex for a Selective Detection Task in Mice

Cortical Localization of the Sensory-Motor Transformation in a Whisker Detection Task in Mice

“…Based on a concurrent widefield calcium imaging study ( Aruljothi et al, 2020 ), we targeted our electrophysiological recordings to three cortical regions contralateral to the target whisker field: whisker representation of S1, wMC, and ALM. Each of these regions were significantly active poststimulus and preresponse ( Aruljothi et al, 2020 ), and therefore may contribute to the sensory-motor transformation process. We used silicon probes with contact sites spanning layer 5 to record multiple single units in each region (S1: 445 units, 25 sessions, eight mice; wMC: 424 units, 16 sessions, nine mice; ALM: 315 units, 13 sessions, eight mice).…”

“…Reward was ∼5 μl of water. Mice were trained in three stages, progressing from (1) classical condition to (2) operant conditioning to (3) the full task with punishment for incorrect responses (for training details and learning trajectories, see Aruljothi et al, 2020 ). Intertrial intervals (ITIs) varied from 6 to 10.5 s, drawn from a decreasing exponential distribution, to correct for an expectation hazard function and thereby minimize a timing strategy ( Elithorn and Lawrence, 1955 ).…”

“…Upon evidence of normal expert behavior, a silicon probe (Neuronexus A1x16-Poly2-5 mm-50s-177) was advanced into the brain using a Narishige micro-manipulator under stereoscope guidance. Recording sites were targeted to the barrel field of S1, wMC, and ALM, based on the functional mapping studies of Aruljothi et al (2020) . Precise coordinates (mm, from bregma): S1 3.2–3.7 lateral, 1–1.5 posterior; wMC 0.5–1.5 lateral, 1–2 anterior; ALM 1–2 lateral, 2–2.5 anterior.…”

“…Correlates of sensory-motor transformations in neocortex have been identified in non-human primates ( Kim and Shadlen, 1999 ; Shadlen and Newsome, 2001 ; de Lafuente and Romo, 2006 ; Siegel et al, 2015 ). More recent efforts are now underway to study sensory-motor transformations in mouse neocortex ( Matyas et al, 2010 ; Guo et al, 2014 ; Zagha et al, 2015 ; Goard et al, 2016 ; Yang et al, 2016 ; Le Merre et al, 2018 ; Pho et al, 2018 ; Mayrhofer et al, 2019 ; Aruljothi et al, 2020 ; Salkoff et al, 2020 ), which benefits from less neocortical arealization and the application of novel genetic and physiological tools. However, despite these efforts, there is still no agreement on the location of the sensory-motor transformation.…”

“…We studied a sensory-motor transformation in the context of sensory detection, in which mice learned to respond (lick) following the presence of a transient whisker deflection stimulus. In a recent study using widefield calcium imaging of dorsal neocortex, we identified the following regions as potentially contributing to the transformation process by expressing robust activity between stimulus onset and response: whisker representation of primary somatosensory cortex (S1), whisker region of primary motor cortex (wMC), and anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM; Aruljothi et al, 2020 ). Previous studies of similar sensory-motor pairings (whisker stimulus→lick) provide partial support for the transformation occurring within each region.…”