scholarly journals Frontal-Sensory Cortical Projections Become Dispensable for Attentional Performance Upon a Reduction of Task Demand in Mice

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Norman ◽  
Julia Bateh ◽  
Priscilla Maccario ◽  
Christina Cho ◽  
Keaven Caro ◽  
...  

Top-down attention is a dynamic cognitive process that facilitates the detection of the task-relevant stimuli from our complex sensory environment. A neural mechanism capable of deployment under specific task-demand conditions would be crucial to efficiently control attentional processes and improve promote goal-directed attention performance during fluctuating attentional demand. Previous studies have shown that frontal top-down neurons projecting from the anterior cingulate area (ACA) to the visual cortex (VIS; ACAVIS) are required for visual attentional behavior during the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) in mice. However, it is unknown whether the contribution of these projecting neurons is dependent on the extent of task demand. Here, we first examined how behavior outcomes depend on the number of locations for mice to pay attention and touch for successful performance, and found that the 2-choice serial reaction time task (2CSRTT) is less task demanding than the 5CSRTT. We then employed optogenetics to demonstrate that suppression ACAVIS projections immediately before stimulus presentation has no effect during the 2CSRTT in contrast to the impaired performance during the 5CSRTT. These results suggest that ACAVIS projections are necessary when task demand is high, but once a task demand is lowered, ACAVIS neuron activity becomes dispensable to adjust attentional performance. These findings support a model that the frontal-sensory ACAVIS projection regulates visual attention behavior during specific high task demand conditions, pointing to a flexible circuit-based mechanism for promoting attentional behavior.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J Norman ◽  
Julia Bateh ◽  
Priscilla Maccario ◽  
Christina Cho ◽  
Keaven Caro ◽  
...  

Top-down attention is a dynamic cognitive process that facilitates the detection of the task-relevant stimuli from our complex sensory environment. A neural mechanism capable of deployment under specific task-demand conditions would be crucial to efficiently control attentional processes and improve goal-directed attention performance in task demand-dependent manner. Previous studies have shown that frontal top-down neurons projecting from anterior cingulate area (ACA) to the visual cortex (VIS; ACAvis) are required for attentional behavior during the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) in mice. However, it is unknown whether the contribution of this projecting neurons is dependent on the extent of task demand. Here, we examine the differential contribution of ACAvis projection neurons to the attentional behavior in adult male mice performing two visual attention tasks of varying task demand: the 5CSRTT and 2-choice serial reaction time task (2CSRTT). We found that optogenetic suppression ACAvis projections immediately before stimulus presentation has no effect during the 2CSRTT in contrast to the impaired performance during the 5CSRTT. Fiber photometry calcium imaging of ACAvis neuron activity revealed that these neurons, which are recruited after errors during 5CSRTT, are not recruited during 2CSRTT. These results suggest that ACAvis projections are necessary only when task demand is high and that ACAvis neuron activity may not provide an error monitoring signal when task demand is low. Collectively, this frontal-sensory ACAvis projection regulates visual attention behavior during specific high task demand conditions, pointing to a flexible circuit-based mechanism for promoting attentional behavior.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 1371-1381
Author(s):  
Craig P Mantanona ◽  
Tadej Božič ◽  
Yogita Chudasama ◽  
Trevor W Robbins ◽  
Jeffrey W Dalley ◽  
...  

Background: Thalamic subregions mediate various cognitive functions, including attention, inhibitory response control and decision making. Such neuronal activity is modulated by cholinergic thalamic afferents and deterioration of such modulatory signaling has been theorised to contribute to cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disorders. However, the thalamic subnuclei and cholinergic receptors involved in cognitive functioning remain largely unknown. Aims: We investigated whether muscarinic or nicotinic receptors in the mediodorsal thalamus and anterior thalamus contribute to rats’ performance in the five-choice serial reaction time task, which measures sustained visual attention and impulsive action. Methods: Male Long-Evans rats were trained in the five-choice serial reaction time task then surgically implanted with guide cannulae targeting either the mediodorsal thalamus or anterior thalamus. Reversible inactivation of either the mediodorsal thalamus or anterior thalamus were achieved with infusions of the γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic agonists muscimol and baclofen prior to behavioural assessment. To investigate cholinergic mechanisms, we also assessed the behavioural effects of locally administered nicotinic (mecamylamine) and muscarinic (scopolamine) receptor antagonists. Results: Reversible inactivation of the mediodorsal thalamus severely impaired discriminative accuracy and response speed and increased omissions. Inactivation of the anterior thalamus produced less profound effects, with impaired accuracy at the highest dose. In contrast, blocking cholinergic transmission in these regions did not significantly affect five-choice serial reaction time task performance. Conclusions/interpretations: These findings show the mediodorsal thalamus plays a key role in visuospatial attentional performance that is independent of local cholinergic neurotransmission.


2006 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 692-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.M.W.J. de Bruin ◽  
F. Fransen ◽  
H. Duytschaever ◽  
C. Grantham ◽  
A.A.H.P. Megens

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maitane Caballero-Puntiverio ◽  
Ciarán Martin Fitzpatrick ◽  
David PD Woldbye ◽  
Jesper Tobias Andreasen

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