Distributed coding of choice, action and engagement across the mouse brain
authors: Nicholas A. Steinmetz, Peter Zatka-Haas, Matteo Carandini, Kenneth D. Harris
doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1787-x
CITATION
Steinmetz, N. A., Zatka-Haas, P., Carandini, M., & Harris, K. D. (2019). Distributed coding of choice, action and engagement across the mouse brain. Nature, 576(7786), 266–273. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1787-x
ABSTRACT
Vision, choice, action, and behavioral engagement arise from neuronal activity that may be distributed across brain regions. Here we delineate the spatial distribution of neurons underlying these processes. We used Neuropixels probes1,2 to record from ~30,000 neurons in 42 brain regions of mice performing a visual discrimination task3. Neurons in nearly all regions responded non-specifically when the mouse initiated an action. By contrast, neurons encoding visual stimuli and upcoming choices occupied restricted regions in neocortex, basal ganglia, and midbrain. Choice signals were rare and emerged with indistinguishable timing across regions. Midbrain neurons were activated before contralateral choices and suppressed before ipsilateral choices, whereas forebrain neurons could prefer either side. Brain-wide pre-stimulus activity predicted engagement in individual trials and in the overall task, with enhanced subcortical but suppressed neocortical activity during engagement. These results reveal organizing principles for the distribution of neurons encoding behaviorally relevant variables across the mouse brain.
fleeting notes
- using neuropixels to record from 30,000 neurons in 42 brain regions
- visual discrimination task
- neurons in all regions respond non specifically during an action
task engagement drives widespread activity in the mouse brain