scholarly journals Distinct waking states for strong evoked responses in primary visual cortex and optimal visual detection performance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett T. Neske ◽  
David A. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Detection Performance ◽  
Neuronal Membrane ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractVariability in cortical neuronal responses to sensory stimuli and in perceptual decision making performance is substantial. Moment-to-moment fluctuations in waking state or arousal can account for much of this variability. Yet, the nature of this variability across the full spectrum of waking states is often not completely characterized, leaving the characteristics of the optimal state for sensory processing unresolved. Using pupillometry in concert with extracellular multiunit and intracellular whole-cell recordings, we found that the magnitude and reliability of visually evoked responses in primary visual cortex (V1) of awake, passively behaving male mice increase as a function of arousal and are largest during sustained locomotion periods. During these high-arousal, sustained locomotion periods, cortical neuronal membrane potential was at its most depolarized and least variable. Contrastingly, behavioral performance of mice on two distinct visual detection tasks was generally best at a range of intermediate arousal levels, but worst during locomotion. These results suggest that large, reliable responses to visual stimuli in V1 occur at a distinct arousal level from that associated with optimal visual detection performance. Our results clarify the relation between neuronal responsiveness and the continuum of waking states, and suggest new complexities in the relation between primary sensory cortical activity and behavior.

scholarly journals Distinct Waking States for Strong Evoked Responses in Primary Visual Cortex and Optimal Visual Detection Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (50) ◽  
pp. 10044-10059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett T. Neske ◽  
Dennis Nestvogel ◽  
Paul J. Steffan ◽  
David A. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Detection Performance ◽  
Evoked Responses

scholarly journals Thalamic inputs determine functionally distinct gamma bands in mouse primary visual cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò Meneghetti ◽  
Chiara Cerri ◽  
Elena Tantillo ◽  
Eleonora Vannini ◽  
Matteo Caleo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Neuron Network ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Thalamic Input ◽  
Visual Contrast

AbstractGamma band is known to be involved in the encoding of visual features in the primary visual cortex (V1). Recent results in rodents V1 highlighted the presence, within a broad gamma band (BB) increasing with contrast, of a narrow gamma band (NB) peaking at ∼60 Hz suppressed by contrast and enhanced by luminance. However, the processing of visual information by the two channels still lacks a proper characterization. Here, by combining experimental analysis and modeling, we prove that the two bands are sensitive to specific thalamic inputs associated with complementary contrast ranges. We recorded local field potentials from V1 of awake mice during the presentation of gratings and observed that NB power progressively decreased from low to intermediate levels of contrast. Conversely, BB power was insensitive to low levels of contrast but it progressively increased going from intermediate to high levels of contrast. Moreover, BB response was stronger immediately after contrast reversal, while the opposite held for NB. All the aforementioned dynamics were accurately reproduced by a recurrent excitatory-inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire network, mimicking layer IV of mouse V1, provided that the sustained and periodic component of the thalamic input were modulated over complementary contrast ranges. These results shed new light on the origin and function of the two V1 gamma bands. In addition, here we propose a simple and effective model of response to visual contrast that might help in reconstructing network dysfunction underlying pathological alterations of visual information processing.Significance StatementGamma band is a ubiquitous hallmark of cortical processing of sensory stimuli. Experimental evidence shows that in the mouse visual cortex two types of gamma activity are differentially modulated by contrast: a narrow band (NB), that seems to be rodent specific, and a standard broad band (BB), observed also in other animal models.We found that narrow band correlates and broad band anticorrelates with visual contrast in two complementary contrast ranges (low and high respectively). Moreover, BB displayed an earlier response than NB. A thalamocortical spiking neuron network model reproduced the aforementioned results, suggesting they might be due to the presence of two complementary but distinct components of the thalamic input into visual cortical circuitry.

scholarly journals Functional selectivity and specific connectivity of inhibitory neurons in primary visual cortex

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Znamenskiy ◽  
Mean-Hwan Kim ◽  
Dylan R. Muir ◽  
Maria Florencia Iacaruso ◽  
Sonja B. Hofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Local Network ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Excitatory Neurons ◽  
Strong Excitation

In the cerebral cortex, the interaction of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs shapes the responses of neurons to sensory stimuli, stabilizes network dynamics1 and improves the efficiency and robustness of the neural code2–4. Excitatory neurons receive inhibitory inputs that track excitation5–8. However, how this co-tuning of excitation and inhibition is achieved by cortical circuits is unclear, since inhibitory interneurons are thought to pool the inputs of nearby excitatory cells and provide them with non-specific inhibition proportional to the activity of the local network9–13. Here we show that although parvalbumin-expressing (PV) inhibitory cells in mouse primary visual cortex make connections with the majority of nearby pyramidal cells, the strength of their synaptic connections is structured according to the similarity of the cells’ responses. Individual PV cells strongly inhibit those pyramidal cells that provide them with strong excitation and share their visual selectivity. This fine-tuning of synaptic weights supports co-tuning of inhibitory and excitatory inputs onto individual pyramidal cells despite dense connectivity between inhibitory and excitatory neurons. Our results indicate that individual PV cells are preferentially integrated into subnetworks of inter-connected, co-tuned pyramidal cells, stabilising their recurrent dynamics. Conversely, weak but dense inhibitory connectivity between subnetworks is sufficient to support competition between them, de-correlating their output. We suggest that the history and structure of correlated firing adjusts the weights of both inhibitory and excitatory connections, supporting stable amplification and selective recruitment of cortical subnetworks.

scholarly journals Perceptual detection depends on spike count integration

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackson J. Cone ◽  
Morgan L. Bade ◽  
Nicolas Y. Masse ◽  
Elizabeth A. Page ◽  
David J. Freedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Recurrent Neural Networks ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Spike Count ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractWhenever the retinal image changes some neurons in visual cortex increase their rate of firing, while others decrease their rate of firing. Linking specific sets of neuronal responses with perception and behavior is essential for understanding mechanisms of neural circuit computation. We trained mice to perform visual detection tasks and used optogenetic perturbations to increase or decrease neuronal spiking primary visual cortex (V1). Perceptual reports were always enhanced by increments in V1 spike counts and impaired by decrements, even when increments and decrements were delivered to the same neuronal populations. Moreover, detecting changes in cortical activity depended on spike count integration rather than instantaneous changes in spiking. Recurrent neural networks trained in the task similarly relied on increments in neuronal activity when activity was costly. This work clarifies neuronal decoding strategies employed by cerebral cortex to translate cortical spiking into percepts that can be used to guide behavior.

scholarly journals A Disinhibitory Circuit for Contextual Modulation in Primary Visual Cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas J. Keller ◽  
Mario Dipoppa ◽  
Morgane M. Roth ◽  
Matthew S. Caudill ◽  
Alessandro Ingrosso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Computational Modelling ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Contextual Modulation ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Excitatory Neurons ◽  
Mouse Visual Cortex

Context guides perception by influencing the saliency of sensory stimuli. Accordingly, in visual cortex, responses to a stimulus are modulated by context, the visual scene surrounding the stimulus. Responses are suppressed when stimulus and surround are similar but not when they differ. The mechanisms that remove suppression when stimulus and surround differ remain unclear. Here we use optical recordings, manipulations, and computational modelling to show that a disinhibitory circuit consisting of vasoactive-intestinal-peptide-expressing (VIP) and somatostatin-expressing (SOM) inhibitory neurons modulates responses in mouse visual cortex depending on the similarity between stimulus and surround. When the stimulus and the surround are similar, VIP neurons are inactive and SOM neurons suppress excitatory neurons. However, when the stimulus and the surround differ, VIP neurons are active, thereby inhibiting SOM neurons and relieving excitatory neurons from suppression. We have identified a canonical cortical disinhibitory circuit which contributes to contextual modulation and may regulate perceptual saliency.

scholarly journals Separable codes for read-out of mouse primary visual cortex across attentional states

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Wilson ◽  
Jeffrey M. Beck ◽  
Lindsey L. Glickfeld
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Attentional Modulation ◽  
Population Activity ◽  
V1 Neurons ◽  
Encode Task

AbstractAttentional modulation of neuronal activity in sensory cortex could alter perception by enhancing the local representation of attended stimuli or its behavioral read-out downstream. We tested these hypotheses using a task in which mice are cued on interleaved trials to attend visual or auditory targets. Neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) that encode task stimuli have larger visually-evoked responses when attention is directed toward vision. To determine whether the attention-dependent changes in V1 reflect changes in representation or read-out, we decoded task stimuli and choices from population activity. Surprisingly, both visual and auditory choices can be decoded from V1, but decoding takes advantage of unique activity patterns across modalities. Furthermore, decoding of choices, but not stimuli, is impaired when attention is directed toward the opposite modality. The specific effect on choice suggests behavioral improvements with attention are largely due to targeted read-out of the most informative V1 neurons.

Activity in primary visual cortex predicts performance in a visual detection task

10.1038/78856 ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 940-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ress ◽  
Benjamin T. Backus ◽  
David J. Heeger
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Detection ◽  
Detection Task

scholarly journals Variation in Spontaneous Activity and Visual Evoked Response in Primary Visual Cortex of the S334ter-3 Rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
pp. 03034
Author(s):  
Bojun Hou ◽  
Ke Chen ◽  
Yilei Zhao ◽  
Leanne Lai Hang Chan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Evoked Responses ◽  
Visual Evoked Response ◽  
Classical Receptive Field ◽  
Narrow Dynamic Range ◽  
Visual Evoked

S334ter-3 retinal degeneration (RD) rats have been widely used to investigate degenerative diseases of the retina. In this model, morphological and electrophysiological changes have been observed in the retina, superior colliculus and primary visual cortex (V1). In this study, experimental rats (S334ter-3) carried one copy of the mutant transgene. We measured the extracellular responses in the primary visual cortex to three stimulus contrast levels (spontaneous activity, medium contrast, and high contrast) at the preferred parameters of each recorded cell under classical receptive field (CRF) stimulation. Then we compared the responses (spontaneous activity and the visual evoked responses) in RD rats with those in wildtype rats. Our results show that V1 cells in the RD group exhibit stronger spontaneous activity but weaker stimulus-evoked responses at medium and high contrasts. At the same time, compared with WT group, RD group also showed a narrow dynamic range. These results indicate the decrease in discriminating the stimuli contrast and loss in responses and lower signal to noise ratio after retina degeneration.

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