scholarly journals Distinct prefrontal top-down circuits differentially modulate sensorimotor behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafiq Huda ◽  
Grayson O. Sipe ◽  
Vincent Breton-Provencher ◽  
K. Guadalupe Cruz ◽  
Gerald N. Pho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Two Photon ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Midbrain Structure

AbstractSensorimotor behaviors require processing of behaviorally relevant sensory cues and the ability to select appropriate responses from a vast behavioral repertoire. Modulation by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to be key for both processes, but the precise role of specific circuits remains unclear. We examined the sensorimotor function of anatomically distinct outputs from a subdivision of the mouse PFC, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Using a visually guided two-choice behavioral paradigm with multiple cue-response mappings, we dissociated the sensory and motor response components of sensorimotor control. Projection-specific two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetic manipulations show that ACC outputs to the superior colliculus, a key midbrain structure for response selection, principally coordinate specific motor responses. Importantly, ACC outputs exert control by reducing the innate response bias of the superior colliculus. In contrast, ACC outputs to the visual cortex facilitate sensory processing of visual cues. Our results ascribe motor and sensory roles to ACC projections to the superior colliculus and the visual cortex and demonstrate for the first time a circuit motif for PFC function wherein anatomically non-overlapping output pathways coordinate complementary but distinct aspects of visual sensorimotor behavior.

scholarly journals Distinct prefrontal top-down circuits differentially modulate sensorimotor behavior

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafiq Huda ◽  
Grayson O. Sipe ◽  
Vincent Breton-Provencher ◽  
K. Guadalupe Cruz ◽  
Gerald N. Pho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Midbrain Structure

AbstractSensorimotor behaviors require processing of behaviorally relevant sensory cues and the ability to select appropriate responses from a vast behavioral repertoire. Top-down modulation by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to be key for both processes but the precise role of specific circuits remains unclear. We examined the sensorimotor function of anatomically distinct outputs from a subdivision of the mouse PFC, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Using a visually guided two-choice behavioral paradigm with multiple cue-response mappings, we dissociated the sensory and motor response components of sensorimotor control. Projection-specific two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetic manipulations show that ACC outputs to the superior colliculus, a key midbrain structure for response selection, principally coordinate specific motor responses. Importantly, ACC outputs exert top-down control by reducing the innate response bias of the superior colliculus. In contrast, ACC outputs to the visual cortex facilitate sensory processing of visual cues. Our results ascribe motor and sensory roles to ACC projections to the superior colliculus and the visual cortex and demonstrate for the first time a circuit motif for PFC function wherein anatomically non-overlapping output pathways coordinate complementary but distinct aspects of visual sensorimotor behavior.

scholarly journals Endogenous recruitment of frontal-sensory circuits during visual discrimination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eluned Broom ◽  
Vivian Imbriotis ◽  
Frank Sengpiel ◽  
William M Connelly ◽  
Adam Ranson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Visual Selective Attention ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Sensory Coding ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Two Photon ◽  
Licking Behaviour ◽  
Endogenous Activity

A long-range circuit linking anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to primary visual cortex (V1) has been previously proposed to mediate visual selective attention in mice during visually guided behaviour. Here we used in vivo two-photon functional imaging to measure endogenous activity of ACC neurons projecting to layer 1 of V1 (ACC-V1axons) in mice either passively viewing stimuli or performing a go/no-go visually guided task. We observed that while ACC-V1axons were recruited under these conditions, this was not linked to enhancement of neural or behavioural measures of sensory coding. Instead, ACC-V1axon activity was observed to be associated with licking behaviour, modulated by reward, and biased towards task relevant sensory cortex.

scholarly journals The processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception in females with high vs. low disgust propensity: an fMRI study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Schienle ◽  
Albert Wabnegger
Keyword(s):  
Personality Trait ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Sweet Food ◽  
Visual Food Cues ◽  
Disgust Propensity

AbstractAn extremely bitter taste can signal food spoilage, and therefore typically elicits disgust. The present cross-modal functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment investigated whether the personality trait ‘disgust propensity’ (DP; temporally stable tendency to experience disgust across different situations) has an influence on the processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception. Thirty females with high DP and 30 females with low DP viewed images depicting sweet food (e.g., cakes, ice cream) and vegetables, once in combination with an extremely bitter aftertaste (concentrated wormwood tea), and once with a neutral taste (water). Females highly prone to disgust (compared to low disgust-prone females) showed increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and increased mPFC-insula connectivity when presented with the mismatch of a bitter aftertaste and visual cues of sweet food. The ACC is involved in conflict monitoring and is strongly interconnected with insular areas. This connection plays a critical role in awareness of changes in homeostatic states. Our findings indicate that the personality trait DP is associated with cross-modal integration processes of disgust-relevant information. Females high in DP were more alert to food-related sensory mismatch (pleasant visual features, aversive taste) than females low in DP.

Effects of low-frequency stimulation of the superior colliculus on spontaneous and visually guided saccades

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 953-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Glimcher ◽  
D. L. Sparks
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Arbitrary Point ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Spontaneous Movements ◽  
Low Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Current ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. The first experiment of this study determined the effects of low-frequency stimulation of the monkey superior colliculus on spontaneous saccades in the dark. Stimulation trains, subthreshold for eliciting short-latency fixed-vector saccades, were highly effective at biasing the metrics (direction and amplitude) of spontaneous movements. During low-frequency stimulation, the distribution of saccade metrics was biased toward the direction and amplitude of movements induced by suprathreshold stimulation of the same collicular location. 2. Low-frequency stimulation biased the distribution of saccade metrics but did not initiate movements. The distribution of intervals between stimulation onset and the onset of the next saccade did not differ significantly from the distribution of intervals between an arbitrary point in time and the onset of the next saccade under unstimulated conditions. 3. Results of our second experiment indicate that low-frequency stimulation also influenced the metrics of visually guided saccades. The magnitude of the stimulation-induced bias increased as stimulation current or frequency was increased. 4. The time course of these effects was analyzed by terminating stimulation immediately before, during, or after visually guided saccades. Stimulation trains terminated at the onset of a movement were as effective as stimulation trains that continued throughout the movement. No effects were observed if stimulation ended 40–60 ms before the movement began. 5. These results show that low-frequency collicular stimulation can influence the direction and amplitude of spontaneous or visually guided saccades without initiating a movement. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that the collicular activity responsible for specifying the horizontal and vertical amplitude of a saccade differs from the type of collicular activity that initiates a saccade.

The Role of Neuronal Synchronization in Response Selection: A Biologically Plausible Theory of Structured Representations in the Visual Cortex

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 603-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter R. Roelfsema ◽  
Andreas K. Engel ◽  
Peter König ◽  
Wolf Singer
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Motor Program ◽  
Dynamic Parameter ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Multiple Objects ◽  
Structured Representations ◽  
Purposeful Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Requirements

Recent experimental results in the visual cortex of cats and monkeys have suggested an important role for synchronization of neuronal activity on a millisecond time scale. Synchronization has been found to occur selectively between neuronal responses to related image components. This suggests that not only the firing rates of neurons but also the relative timing of their action potentials is used as a coding dimension. Thus, a powerful relational code would be available, in addition to the rate code, for the representation of perceptual objects. This could alleviate difficulties in the simultaneous representation of multiple objects. In this article we present a set of theoretical arguments and predictions concerning the mechanisms that could group neurons responding to related image components into coherently active aggregates. Synchrony is likely to be mediated by synchronizing connections; we introduce the concept of an interaction skeleton to refer to the subset of synchronizing connections that are rendered effective by a particular stimulus configuration. If the image is segmented into objects, these objects can typically be segmented further into their constituent parts. The synchronization behavior of neurons that represent the various image components may accurately reflect this hierarchical clustering. We propose that the range of synchronizing interactions is a dynamic parameter of the cortical network, so that the grain of the resultant grouping process may be adapted to the actual behavioral requirements. It can be argued that different aspects of purposeful behavior rely on separable processes by which sensory input is transformed into adjustments of motor activity. Indeed, neurophysiological evidence has suggested separate processing streams originating in the primary visual cortex for object identification and sensorimotor coordination. However, such a separation calls for a mechanism that avoids interference effects in the presence of multiple objects, or when multiple motor programs are simultaneously prepared. In this article we suggest that synchronization between responses of neurons in both the visual cortex and in areas that are involved in response selection and execution might allow for a selective routing of sensory information to the appropriate motor program.

scholarly journals Visual Information Shapes the Dynamics of Corticobasal Ganglia Pathways during Response Selection and Inhibition

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1344-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Jahfari ◽  
Lourens Waldorp ◽  
K. Richard Ridderinkhof ◽  
H. Steven Scholte
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Effective Connectivity ◽  
Action Selection ◽  
Visual Input ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Fast Flow

Action selection often requires the transformation of visual information into motor plans. Preventing premature responses may entail the suppression of visual input and/or of prepared muscle activity. This study examined how the quality of visual information affects frontobasal ganglia (BG) routes associated with response selection and inhibition. Human fMRI data were collected from a stop task with visually degraded or intact face stimuli. During go trials, degraded spatial frequency information reduced the speed of information accumulation and response cautiousness. Effective connectivity analysis of the fMRI data showed action selection to emerge through the classic direct and indirect BG pathways, with inputs deriving form both prefrontal and visual regions. When stimuli were degraded, visual and prefrontal regions processing the stimulus information increased connectivity strengths toward BG, whereas regions evaluating visual scene content or response strategies reduced connectivity toward BG. Response inhibition during stop trials recruited the indirect and hyperdirect BG pathways, with input from visual and prefrontal regions. Importantly, when stimuli were nondegraded and processed fast, the optimal stop model contained additional connections from prefrontal to visual cortex. Individual differences analysis revealed that stronger prefrontal-to-visual connectivity covaried with faster inhibition times. Therefore, prefrontal-to-visual cortex connections appear to suppress the fast flow of visual input for the go task, such that the inhibition process can finish before the selection process. These results indicate response selection and inhibition within the BG to emerge through the interplay of top–down adjustments from prefrontal and bottom–up input from sensory cortex.

Effects of Local Nicotinic Activation of the Superior Colliculus on Saccades in Monkeys

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 519-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayuki Watanabe ◽  
Yasushi Kobayashi ◽  
Yuka Inoue ◽  
Tadashi Isa
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Population Activity ◽  
Affected Area ◽  
Movement Field ◽  
Neural Interactions ◽  
Restricted Region

To examine the role of competitive and cooperative neural interactions within the intermediate layer of superior colliculus (SC), we elevated the basal SC neuronal activity by locally injecting a cholinergic agonist nicotine and analyzed its effects on saccade performance. After microinjection, spontaneous saccades were directed toward the movement field of neurons at the injection site (affected area). For visually guided saccades, reaction times were decreased when targets were presented close to the affected area. However, when visual targets were presented remote from the affected area, reaction times were not increased regardless of the rostrocaudal level of the injection sites. The endpoints of visually guided saccades were biased toward the affected area when targets were presented close to the affected area. After this endpoint effect diminished, the trajectories of visually guided saccades remained modestly curved toward the affected area. Compared with the effects on endpoints, the effects on reaction times were more localized to the targets close to the affected area. These results are consistent with a model that saccades are triggered by the activities of neurons within a restricted region, and the endpoints and trajectories of the saccades are determined by the widespread population activity in the SC. However, because increased reaction times were not observed for saccades toward targets remote from the affected area, inhibitory interactions in the SC may not be strong enough to shape the spatial distribution of the low-frequency preparatory activities in the SC.

scholarly journals Neuronal Distribution Across the Cerebral Cortex of the Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix jacchus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 3836-3863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafiseh Atapour ◽  
Piotr Majka ◽  
Ianina H Wolkowicz ◽  
Daria Malamanova ◽  
Katrina H Worthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Anterior Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Density ◽  
Marmoset Monkey ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Neuronal Distribution

Abstract Using stereological analysis of NeuN-stained sections, we investigated neuronal density and number of neurons per column throughout the marmoset cortex. Estimates of mean neuronal density encompassed a greater than 3-fold range, from >150 000 neurons/mm3 in the primary visual cortex to ~50 000 neurons/mm3 in the piriform complex. There was a trend for density to decrease from posterior to anterior cortex, but also local gradients, which resulted in a complex pattern; for example, in frontal, auditory, and somatosensory cortex neuronal density tended to increase towards anterior areas. Anterior cingulate, motor, premotor, insular, and ventral temporal areas were characterized by relatively low neuronal densities. Analysis across the depth of the cortex revealed greater laminar variation of neuronal density in occipital, parietal, and inferior temporal areas, in comparison with other regions. Moreover, differences between areas were more pronounced in the supragranular layers than in infragranular layers. Calculations of the number of neurons per unit column revealed a pattern that was distinct from that of neuronal density, including local peaks in the posterior parietal, superior temporal, precuneate, frontopolar, and temporopolar regions. These results suggest that neuronal distribution in adult cortex result from a complex interaction of developmental/ evolutionary determinants and functional requirements.

Glutamate-like immunoreactivity in the cat superior colliculus and visual cortex: Further evidence that glutamate is the neurotransmitter of the corticocollicular pathway

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Jin Jeon ◽  
Michael K. Hartman ◽  
R. Ranney Mize
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Optical Density ◽  
Retrograde Tracing ◽  
Biochemical Studies ◽  
Deep Layers ◽  
Dense Band ◽  
Cat Superior Colliculus ◽  
Made In ◽  
In Cells

AbstractBiochemical studies provide evidence that the pathway from visual cortex to the superior colliculus (SC) utilizes glutamate as a neurotransmitter. In the present study, we have used immunocytochemistry, visual cortex lesions, and retrograde tracing to show directly by anatomical methods that glutamate or a closely related analog is contained in corticocollicular neurons and terminals. A monoclonal antibody directed against gamma-L-glutamyl-L-glutamate (gamma glu glu) was used to localize glutamate-like immunoreactivity in both the superior colliculus (SC) and visual cortex (VC). Unilateral lesions of areas 17–18 were made in four cats to determine if gamma glu glu labeling was reduced in SC by this lesion. WGA-HRP was injected into the SC of 10 additional cats in order to determine if corticocollicular neurons were also labeled by the gamma glu glu antibody. A distinctive dense band of gamma glu glu immunoreactivity was found within the deep superficial gray and upper optic layers of SC where many corticotectal axons are known to terminate. Both fibers and cells were labeled within the band. Immunoreactivity was also found in cells and fibers throughout the deep layers of SC. Measures of total immunoreactivity (i.e. optical density) in the dense band were made in sections from the SC both ipsilateral to and contralateral to the lesions of areas 17–18. A consistent reduction in optical density was found in both the neuropil and in cells within the dense band of the SC ipsilateral to the lesion. A large percentage of all corticocollicular neurons that were retrogradely labeled by WGA-HRP also contained gamma glu glu. These results provide further evidence that the corticocollicular pathway in mammals is glutamatergic. The results also suggest that visual cortex ablation alters synthesis or storage of glutamate within postsynaptic SC neurons, presumably as a result of partial deafferentation.

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