Choice-specific sequences in parietal cortex during a virtual-navigation decision task

Article

关键词: HIPPOCAMPAL PLACE CELLS;    PREFRONTAL CORTEX;    WORKING-MEMORY;    CELLULAR RESOLUTION;    PERCEPTUAL DECISIONS;    SPATIAL INFORMATION;    ACTIVITY PATTERNS;    NEURAL ACTIVITY;    VISUAL-CORTEX;    DYNAMICS;   

DOI  :  10.1038/nature10918

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) has an important role in many cognitive behaviours; however, the neural circuit dynamics underlying PPC function are not well understood. Here we optically imaged the spatial and temporal activity patterns of neuronal populations in mice performing a PPC-dependent task that combined a perceptual decision and memory-guided navigation in a virtual environment. Individual neurons had transient activation staggered relative to one another in time, forming a sequence of neuronal activation spanning the entire length of a task trial. Distinct sequences of neurons were triggered on trials with opposite behavioural choices and defined divergent, choice-specific trajectories through a state space of neuronal population activity. Cells participating in the different sequences and at distinct time points in the task were anatomically intermixed over microcircuit length scales (<100 micrometres). During working memory decision tasks, the PPC may therefore perform computations through sequence-based circuit dynamics, rather than long-lived stable states, implemented using anatomically intermingled microcircuits.

【 授权许可】

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