The motor cortex is capable of reliably driving complex movements yet exhibits considerable plasticity during motor learning. These observations suggest that the fundamental relationship between motor cortex activity and movement may not be fixed but is instead shaped by learning; however, to what extent and how motor learning shapes this relationship are not fully understood. Here we addressed this issue by using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to monitor the activity of the same population of hundreds of layer 2/3 neurons while mice learned a forelimb lever-press task over two weeks. Excitatory and inhibitory neurons were identified by transgenic labelling. Inhibitory neuron activity was relatively stable and balanced local excitatory neuron activity on a movement-by-movement basis, whereas excitatory neuron activity showed higher dynamism during the initial phase of learning. The dynamics of excitatory neurons during the initial phase involved the expansion of the movement-related population which explored various activity patterns even during similar movements. This was followed by a refinement into a smaller population exhibiting reproducible spatiotemporal sequences of activity. This pattern of activity associated with the learned movement was unique to expert animals and not observed during similar movements made during the naive phase, and the relationship between neuronal activity and individual movements became more consistent with learning. These changes in population activity coincided with a transient increase in dendritic spine turnover in these neurons. Our results indicate that a novel and reproducible activity-movement relationship develops as a result of motor learning, and we speculate that synaptic plasticity within the motor cortex underlies the emergence of reproducible spatiotemporal activity patterns for learned movements. These results underscore the profound influence of learning on the way that the cortex produces movements.
Motor skill learning induces long-lasting reorganization of dendritic spines, major sites of excitatory synapses, in the motor cortex. However, mechanisms that regulate these excitatory synaptic changes remain poorly understood. Here using in vivo two-photon imaging in awake mice, we found that learning-induced spine reorganization of L2/3 excitatory neurons occurs in the distal branches of their apical dendrites in L1 but not in the perisomatic dendrites. This compartment-specific spine reorganization coincided with subtype-specific plasticity of local inhibitory circuits. Somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons (SOM-INs) that mainly inhibit distal dendrites of excitatory neurons showed a decrease in axonal boutons immediately after the training begins, whereas parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons (PV-INs) that mainly inhibit perisomatic regions of excitatory neurons exhibited a gradual increase in the axonal boutons during training. Optogenetic enhancement and suppression of SOM-IN activity during training destabilized and hyper-stabilized spines, respectively, and both manipulations impaired the learning of stereotyped movements. Our results identify SOM inhibition of distal dendrites as a key regulator of learning-related changes in excitatory synapses and the acquisition of motor skills.
Injury to the primary visual cortex (V1) leads to the loss of visual experience. Nonetheless, careful testing shows that certain visually guided behaviors can persist even in the absence of visual awareness1–5. The neural circuits supporting this phenomenon, often termed blindsight, remain uncertain5. Here we demonstrate a causal role of the thalamic lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in V1-independent processing of visual information. By comparing fMRI and behavioral measures with and without temporary LGN inactivation, we assessed the contribution of the LGN to visual functions of macaque monkeys with chronic V1 lesions. Prior to LGN inactivation, high contrast stimuli presented to the lesion-affected visual field (scotoma) produced significant V1 independent fMRI activation in extrastriate cortical areas V2, V3, V4, V5/MT, FST, and LIP, and were correctly located by the animals in a detection task. However, following reversible inactivation of the LGN in the V1-lesioned hemisphere both fMRI responses and behavioral detection were abolished. Taken together, these results demonstrate a critical functional contribution of the direct LGN projections to extrastriate cortex in blindsight, and suggest a viable pathway mediating fast detection during normal vision.
Perturbation-based training shows promise as an effective intervention to improve the ability of older adults to prevent themselves from falling when they lose their balance.
SUMMARY In the olfactory bulb, odor representations by principal mitral cells are modulated by local inhibitory circuits. While dendrodendritic synapses between mitral and granule cells are typically thought to be a major source of this modulation, the contributions of other inhibitory neurons remain unclear. Here we demonstrate the functional properties of olfactory bulb parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV cells) and identify their important role in odor coding. Using paired recordings, we find that PV cells form reciprocal connections with the majority of nearby mitral cells, in contrast to the sparse connectivity between mitral and granule cells. In vivo calcium imaging in awake mice reveals that PV cells are broadly tuned to odors. Furthermore, selective PV cell inactivation enhances mitral cell responses in a linear fashion while maintaining mitral cell odor preferences. Thus, dense connections between mitral and PV cells underlie an inhibitory circuit poised to modulate the gain of olfactory bulb output.
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