scholarly journals Transcriptomic encoding of sensorimotor transformation in the midbrain

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyong Xie ◽  
Mengdi Wang ◽  
Zeyuan Liu ◽  
Congping Shang ◽  
Changjiang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Sensorimotor Transformation ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Molecular Logic ◽  
Tactile Cues ◽  
Midbrain Structure ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Brain

Sensorimotor transformation, a process that converts sensory stimuli into motor actions, is critical for the brain to initiate behaviors. Although the circuitry involved in sensorimotor transformation has been well delineated, the molecular logic behind this process remains poorly understood. Here, we performed high-throughput and circuit-specific single-cell transcriptomic analyses of neurons in the superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain structure implicated in early sensorimotor transformation. We found that SC neurons in distinct laminae express discrete marker genes. Of particular interest, Cbln2 and Pitx2 are key markers that define glutamatergic projection neurons in the optic nerve (Op) and intermediate gray (InG) layers, respectively. The Cbln2+ neurons responded to visual stimuli mimicking cruising predators, while the Pitx2+ neurons encoded prey-derived vibrissal tactile cues. By forming distinct input and output connections with other brain areas, these neuronal subtypes independently mediate behaviors of predator avoidance and prey capture. Our results reveal that, in the midbrain, sensorimotor transformation for different behaviors may be performed by separate circuit modules that are molecularly defined by distinct transcriptomic codes.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic encoding of sensorimotor transformation in the midbrain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyong Xie ◽  
Mengdi Wang ◽  
Zeyuan Liu ◽  
Congping Shang ◽  
Changjiang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Sensorimotor Transformation ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Molecular Logic ◽  
Tactile Cues ◽  
Midbrain Structure ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTSensorimotor transformation, a process that converts sensory stimuli into motor actions, is critical for the brain to initiate behaviors. Although the circuitry involved in sensorimotor transformation has been well delineated, the molecular logic behind this process remains poorly understood. Here, we performed high-throughput and circuit-specific single-cell transcriptomic analyses of neurons in the superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain structure implicated in early sensorimotor transformation. We found that SC neurons in distinct laminae express discrete marker genes. Of particular interest, Cbln2 and Pitx2 are key markers that define glutamatergic projection neurons in the optic nerve (Op) and intermediate gray (InG) layers, respectively. The Cbln2+ neurons responded to visual stimuli mimicking cruising predators, while the Pitx2+ neurons encoded prey-derived vibrissal tactile cues. By forming distinct input and output connections with other brain areas, these neuronal subtypes independently mediate behaviors of predator avoidance and prey capture. Our results reveal that, in the midbrain, sensorimotor transformation for different behaviors may be performed by separate circuit modules that are molecularly defined by distinct transcriptomic codes.

scholarly journals Twitches, Blinks, and Fidgets: Important Generators of Ongoing Neural Activity

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Drew ◽  
Aaron T. Winder ◽  
Qingguang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Brain

Animals and humans continuously engage in small, spontaneous motor actions, such as blinking, whisking, and postural adjustments (“fidgeting”). These movements are accompanied by changes in neural activity in sensory and motor regions of the brain. The frequency of these motions varies in time, is affected by sensory stimuli, arousal levels, and pathology. These fidgeting behaviors can be entrained by sensory stimuli. Fidgeting behaviors will cause distributed, bilateral functional activation in the 0.01 to 0.1 Hz frequency range that will show up in functional magnetic resonance imaging and wide-field calcium neuroimaging studies, and will contribute to the observed functional connectivity among brain regions. However, despite the large potential of these behaviors to drive brain-wide activity, these fidget-like behaviors are rarely monitored. We argue that studies of spontaneous and evoked brain dynamics in awake animals and humans should closely monitor these fidgeting behaviors. Differences in these fidgeting behaviors due to arousal or pathology will “contaminate” ongoing neural activity, and lead to apparent differences in functional connectivity. Monitoring and accounting for the brain-wide activations by these behaviors is essential during experiments to differentiate fidget-driven activity from internally driven neural dynamics.

scholarly journals Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Feigin ◽  
Shira Baror ◽  
Moshe Bar ◽  
Adam Zaidel
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Irrelevant Stimulus ◽  
Stimulus Feature ◽  
Serial Dependence ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Subsequent Test ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
High Level ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Brain

AbstractPerceptual decisions are biased by recent perceptual history—a phenomenon termed 'serial dependence.' Here, we investigated what aspects of perceptual decisions lead to serial dependence, and disambiguated the influences of low-level sensory information, prior choices and motor actions. Participants discriminated whether a brief visual stimulus lay to left/right of the screen center. Following a series of biased ‘prior’ location discriminations, subsequent ‘test’ location discriminations were biased toward the prior choices, even when these were reported via different motor actions (using different keys), and when the prior and test stimuli differed in color. By contrast, prior discriminations about an irrelevant stimulus feature (color) did not substantially influence subsequent location discriminations, even though these were reported via the same motor actions. Additionally, when color (not location) was discriminated, a bias in prior stimulus locations no longer influenced subsequent location discriminations. Although low-level stimuli and motor actions did not trigger serial-dependence on their own, similarity of these features across discriminations boosted the effect. These findings suggest that relevance across perceptual decisions is a key factor for serial dependence. Accordingly, serial dependence likely reflects a high-level mechanism by which the brain predicts and interprets new incoming sensory information in accordance with relevant prior choices.

There are no A1 and A2 astrocytes in brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang-qi Gao
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Reactive Astrocytes ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Objectives The subsets of astrocytes in the brain have not been fully elucidated. Using bulk RNA sequencing, reactive astrocytes were divided into A1 versus A2. However, using single-cell RNAseq (ScRNAseq), astrocytes were divided into over two subsets. Our aim was to set up the correspondence between the fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS)-bulk RNAseq and ScRNAseq data. Results We found that most of reactive astrocytes (RAs) marker genes were expressed in endothelial cells but not in astrocytes, suggesting those marker genes are not suitable for astrocytic activation. The absence of A1 and A2 astrocytes in the brain.

Differential Involvement of Projection Neurons During Emergence of Spontaneous Activity in the Developing Avian Hindbrain

2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiraku Mochida ◽  
Gilles Fortin ◽  
Jean Champagnat ◽  
Joel C. Glover
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Projection Neuron ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Charge Coupled Device ◽  
Neuron Populations ◽  
Motor Nerves ◽  
Differential Involvement ◽  
A Charge ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Calcium Green

To better characterize the emergence of spontaneous neuronal activity in the developing hindbrain, spontaneous activity was recorded optically from defined projection neuron populations in isolated preparations of the brain stem of the chicken embryo. Ipsilaterally projecting reticulospinal (RS) neurons and several groups of vestibuloocular (VO) neurons were labeled retrogradely with Calcium Green-1 dextran amine and spontaneous calcium transients were recorded using a charge-coupled-device camera mounted on a fluorescence microscope. Simultaneous extracellular recordings were made from one of the trigeminal motor nerves (nV) to register the occurrence of spontaneous synchronous bursts of activity. Two types of spontaneous activity were observed: synchronous events (SEs), which occurred in register with spontaneous bursts in nV once every few minutes and were tetrodotoxin (TTX) dependent, and asynchronous events (AEs), which occurred in the intervals between SEs and were TTX resistant. AEs occurred developmentally before SEs and were in general smaller and more variable in amplitude than SEs. SEs appeared at the same stage as nV bursts early on embryonic day 4, first in RS neurons and then in VO neurons. All RS neurons participated equally in SEs from the outset, whereas different subpopulations of VO neurons participated differentially, both in terms of the proportion of neurons that exhibited SEs, the fidelity with which the SEs in individual neurons followed the nV bursts, and the developmental stage at which SEs appeared and matured. The results show that spontaneous activity is expressed heterogeneously among hindbrain projection neuron populations, suggesting its differential involvement in the formation of different functional neuronal circuits.

scholarly journals Reward and aversion encoding in the lateral habenula for innate and learned behaviours

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Mondoloni ◽  
Manuel Mameli ◽  
Mauro Congiu
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Lateral Habenula ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Aversive Events ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Made In

AbstractThroughout life, individuals experience a vast array of positive and aversive events that trigger adaptive behavioural responses. These events are often unpredicted and engage actions that are likely anchored on innate behavioural programs expressed by each individual member of virtually all animal species. In a second step, environmental cues, that are initially neutral, acquire value through the association with external sensory stimuli, and become instrumental to predict upcoming positive or negative events. This process ultimately prompts learned goal-directed actions allowing the pursuit of rewarding experience or the avoidance of a danger. Both innate and learned behavioural programs are evolutionarily conserved and fundamental for survival. Among the brain structures participating in the encoding of positive/negative stimuli and contributing to innate and learned behaviours is the epithalamic lateral habenula (LHb). The LHb provides top-down control of monoaminergic systems, responds to unexpected appetitive/aversive stimuli as well as external cues that predict the upcoming rewards or punishments. Accordingly, the LHb controls a number of behaviours that are innate (originating from unpredicted stimuli), and learned (stemming from predictive cues). In this review, we will discuss the progresses that rodent’s experimental work made in identifying how LHb activity governs these vital processes, and we will provide a view on how these findings integrate within a complex circuit connectivity.

scholarly journals Motor cost affects the decision of when to shift gaze for guiding movement

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 378-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Javier Domínguez-Zamora ◽  
Daniel S. Marigold
Keyword(s):  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Lateral Direction ◽  
Foot Placement ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Trial Basis ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Brain

Frequent gait modifications are often required to navigate our world. These can involve long or wide steps or changes in direction. People generally prefer to minimize the motor cost (or effort) of a movement, although with changes in gait this is not always possible. The decision of when and where to shift gaze is critical for controlling motor actions, since vision informs the brain about the available choices for movement—in this case, where to step. Here we asked how motor cost influences the allocation of gaze. To address this, we had participants walk and step to the center of sequential targets on the ground. We manipulated the motor cost associated with controlling foot placement by varying the location of one target in the lateral direction on a trial-to-trial basis within environments with different numbers of targets. Costlier steps caused a switch from a gaze strategy of planning future steps to one favoring visual feedback of the current foot placement when participants had to negotiate another target immediately after. Specifically, costlier steps delayed gaze shifts away from the manipulated target. We show that this relates to the cost of moving the leg and redirecting the body’s center of mass from target to target. Overall, our results suggest that temporal gaze decisions are affected by motor costs associated with step-to-step demands of the environment. Moreover, they provide insight into what affects the coordination between the eyes and feet for the control of stable and accurate foot placement while walking. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Changes in gait allow us to navigate our world. For instance, one may step long or wide to avoid a spilled drink. The brain can direct gaze to gather relevant information for making these types of motor decisions; however, the factors affecting gaze allocation in natural behaviors are poorly understood. We show how the motor cost associated with a step influences the decision of when to redirect gaze to ensure accurate foot placement while walking.

scholarly journals Enhanced Alpha-oscillations in Visual Cortex during Anticipation of Self-generated Visual Stimulation

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2540-2551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max-Philipp Stenner ◽  
Markus Bauer ◽  
Patrick Haggard ◽  
Hans-Jochen Heinze ◽  
Ray Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Forward Models ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Sensory Attenuation ◽  
Sensory Neural ◽  
Motor Actions

The perceived intensity of sensory stimuli is reduced when these stimuli are caused by the observer's actions. This phenomenon is traditionally explained by forward models of sensory action–outcome, which arise from motor processing. Although these forward models critically predict anticipatory modulation of sensory neural processing, neurophysiological evidence for anticipatory modulation is sparse and has not been linked to perceptual data showing sensory attenuation. By combining a psychophysical task involving contrast discrimination with source-level time–frequency analysis of MEG data, we demonstrate that the amplitude of alpha-oscillations in visual cortex is enhanced before the onset of a visual stimulus when the identity and onset of the stimulus are controlled by participants' motor actions. Critically, this prestimulus enhancement of alpha-amplitude is paralleled by psychophysical judgments of a reduced contrast for this stimulus. We suggest that alpha-oscillations in visual cortex preceding self-generated visual stimulation are a likely neurophysiological signature of motor-induced sensory anticipation and mediate sensory attenuation. We discuss our results in relation to proposals that attribute generic inhibitory functions to alpha-oscillations in prioritizing and gating sensory information via top–down control.

Cognitive Enhancement Mediated Through Postsynaptic Actions of Norepinephrine on Ongoing Cortical Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1739-1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Hoshino
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Dynamic Property ◽  
Cognitive Enhancement ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
The Neural Network ◽  
Higher Doses ◽  
The Brain

We propose two distinct types of norepinephrine (NE)-neuromodulatory systems: an enhanced-excitatory and enhanced-inhibitory (E-E/E-I) system and a depressed-excitatory and enhanced-inhibitory (D-E/E-I) system. In both systems, inhibitory synaptic efficacies are enhanced, but excitatory ones are modified in a contradictory manner: the E-E/E-I system enhances excitatory synaptic efficacies, whereas the D-E/E-I system depresses them. The E-E/E-I and D-E/E-I systems altered the dynamic property of ongoing (background) neuronal activity and greatly influenced the cognitive performance (S/N ratio) of a cortical neural network. The E-E/E-I system effectively enhanced S/N ratio for weaker stimuli with lower doses of NE, whereas the D-E/E-I system enhanced stronger stimuli with higher doses of NE. The neural network effectively responded to weaker stimuli if brief γ-bursts were involved in ongoing neuronal activity that is controlled under the E-E/E-I neuromodulatory system. If the E-E/E-I and the D-E/E-I systems interact within the neural network, depressed neurons whose activity is depressed by NE application have bimodal property. That is, S/N ratio can be enhanced not only for stronger stimuli as its original property but also for weaker stimuli, for which coincidental neuronal firings among enhanced neurons whose activity is enhanced by NE application are essential. We suggest that the recruitment of the depressed neurons for the detection of weaker (subthreshold) stimuli might be advantageous for the brain to cope with a variety of sensory stimuli.

Magnetoencephalography

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Hari
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Quantum Interference ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Brain Dynamics ◽  
Clinical Neuroscience ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices ◽  
Brain Signals ◽  
Basic Characteristics ◽  
The Brain

This chapter introduces magnetoencephalography (MEG), a tool to study brain dynamics in basic and clinical neuroscience. MEG picks up brain signals with millisecond resolution, as does electroencephalography, but without distortion by skull and scalp. The chapter describes current instrumentation based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). It delineates basic characteristics of measured signals: (1) brain rhythms and their reactivity during sensory processing and various tasks and (2) evoked responses elicited by sensory stimuli, and the dependence of these responses on various stimulus characteristics. Signals are described from healthy and diseased brains. The chapter presents studies of the brain basis of cognition and social interaction studied in dual-MEG setups and describes how MEG applications can be broadened by innovative setups, including frequency tagging. Progress in the field is predicted regarding sensor technology, data analysis, and multimodal brain imaging, all of which could strengthen MEG’s role in the study of brain dynamics.

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