State-Dependent Changes in Perception and Coding in the Mouse Somatosensory Cortex

Conrad C Y Lee; Ehsan Kheradpezhouh; Mathew E Diamond; Ehsan Arabzadeh

doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108197

State-Dependent Changes in Perception and Coding in the Mouse Somatosensory Cortex

Cell Rep. 2020 Sep 29;32(13):108197. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108197.

Authors

Conrad C Y Lee¹, Ehsan Kheradpezhouh², Mathew E Diamond³, Ehsan Arabzadeh²

Affiliations

¹ Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: conrad.lee@anu.edu.au.
² Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
³ Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.

PMID: 32997984
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108197

Abstract

An animal's behavioral state is reflected in the dynamics of cortical population activity and its capacity to process sensory information. To better understand the relationship between behavioral states and information processing, mice are trained to detect varying amplitudes of whisker-deflection under two-photon calcium imaging. Layer 2/3 neurons in the vibrissal primary somatosensory cortex are imaged across different behavioral states, defined based on detection performance (low to high-state) and pupil diameter. The neurometric curve in each behavioral state mirrors the corresponding psychometric performance, with calcium signals predictive of the animal's choice. High behavioral states are associated with lower network synchrony, extending over shorter cortical distances. The decrease in correlation across neurons in high state results in enhanced information transmission capacity at the population level. The observed state-dependent changes suggest that the coding regime within the first stage of cortical processing may underlie adaptive routing of relevant information through the sensorimotor system.

Keywords: cortical state, awake-behaving, electrophysiology, whisker, somatosensory, sensory processing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Action Potentials / physiology*
Animals
Male
Mice
Perception
Somatosensory Cortex / physiology*