Variability in sampling of cortex-wide neural dynamics explains individual differences in functional connectivity and behavioral phenotype

Abstract

Individual differences in behavior are associated with changes in the correlation of neural activity between brain areas. Such differences in 'functional connectivity' are thought to reflect individual differences in brain structure that alter the flow of neural activity between regions. Here, in contrast, we show that individual differences in functional connectivity and behavior can be explained by differences in how frequently an individual expresses distinct cortex-wide spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity. This suggests variability in sampling of cortex-wide neural dynamics may underlie individuals' unique behavioral phenotypes.

Multiplexed Subspaces Route Neural Activity Across Brain-wide Networks

“…Each mouse was recorded twice for a total of n=6 recordings. Previous studies in animals expressing GCaMP under the Thy1 promoter have not shown epileptiform activity 5,35 . Consistent with this, we screened all recordings for potential epileptiform activity and no events were observed.…”

“…Altogether, the 14 motifs captured 65.8% of the variance in cortex-wide neural activity in withheld data (CI: 65.0-66.6%). Importantly, which motif was expressed changed on a moment-by-moment basis 4,5 , reflecting flexibility in how neural activity propagated between brain regions during spontaneous behaviors.…”

“…Instead, excitation was maintained throughout the recording session. To mitigate hemodynamic effects of large vasculature, we masked non-neural pixels around blood vessels 4,5 . Slow drift in the imaging signal was corrected by normalizing fluorescence to a rolling baseline variance (described below).…”

“…Headplate implantation and preparation of dorsal cortex for widefield imaging followed previous work 4,5 . In brief, mice were anesthetized and given analgesics (Buprenorphine, 0.1mg/kg; Meloxicam, 1mg/kg) and sterile saline.…”

“…Broad networks of regions are involved in sensory processing 9 , decision making 8 , and motor actions 10,11 . Which network is engaged changes over time, both during spontaneous behavior [3][4][5][6] and in a task-dependent manner 2,8,12-14 . Routing neural representations through different networks is thought to support cognitive flexibility by changing how information is processed by the brain 15 .…”