SINGLE-WHISKER SENSORY PROCESSING IN TACTILE NAVIGATION

Al-Kodmany, Nur

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124860 Copy

Description

Title

SINGLE-WHISKER SENSORY PROCESSING IN TACTILE NAVIGATION

Author(s)

Al-Kodmany, Nur

Issue Date

2023-05-01

Keyword(s)

Barrel cortex; Neural circuits

Date of Ingest

2024-10-14T11:38:25-05:00

Abstract

We are investigating the role and organization of neuronal populations in the mouse barrel cortex driving behavioral decision making in a whisker dependent task. We employed a naturalistic tactical virtual reality model [1] enabling the collection of neural data during challenging cognitive tasks in ethologically relevant behavior. Head fixed mice run on an air suspended spherical treadmill with movable, textured walls coupled to their movements. Mounted inside a light tight box, whisking against these textured, turning walls is the only sensory cue enabling navigation, effectively creating the illusion of a dark, windy corridor. As whiskers encounter the turning walls, the mouse is faced with the decision to also turn or encounter collision. This choice period involving the integration of sensory input to probe motor output is of specific interest. To record the activity of neuronal populations during this task, 384 channel neuropixel probes are inserted into the principal whisker barrel, enabling the recording of single-unit spiking activity across the cortical layers. The use of Scnn1a-TG3-Cre x Ai32 mice with Cre expression in layer 4 of the cortex allows optical tagging of excitatory spiny stellate neurons. We observed dynamic connectivity during this choice period, with variations in neural activity during stimulus presentation, motor planning and the execution of behavior. We also observed activity and sensory stimulation dependent firing rate modulations. Further analysis of the correlations between firing activity and behavior are ongoing and imperative in aiding understanding of the role of the barrel cortex in sensorimotor processing and perceptual decision making. [1] N.Sofroniew, et al, eLife;4:e12559 (2015)

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

dissertation/thesis

Language

eng

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