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Stimulus encoding by specific inactivation of cortical neurons

Author

Listed:
  • Jesús Pérez-Ortega

    (Columbia University)

  • Alejandro Akrouh

    (Columbia University)

  • Rafael Yuste

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

Neuronal ensembles are groups of neurons with correlated activity associated with sensory, motor, and behavioral functions. To explore how ensembles encode information, we investigated responses of visual cortical neurons in awake mice using volumetric two-photon calcium imaging during visual stimulation. We identified neuronal ensembles employing an unsupervised model-free algorithm and, besides neurons activated by the visual stimulus (termed “onsemble”), we also find neurons that are specifically inactivated (termed “offsemble”). Offsemble neurons showed faster calcium decay during stimuli, suggesting selective inhibition. In response to visual stimuli, each ensemble (onsemble+offsemble) exhibited small trial-to-trial variability, high orientation selectivity, and superior predictive accuracy for visual stimulus orientation, surpassing the sum of individual neuron activity. Thus, the combined selective activation and inactivation of cortical neurons enhances visual encoding as an emergent and distributed neural code.

Suggested Citation

  • Jesús Pérez-Ortega & Alejandro Akrouh & Rafael Yuste, 2024. "Stimulus encoding by specific inactivation of cortical neurons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47515-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47515-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rosa Cossart & Dmitriy Aronov & Rafael Yuste, 2003. "Attractor dynamics of network UP states in the neocortex," Nature, Nature, vol. 423(6937), pages 283-288, May.
    2. Emmanuel Marquez-Legorreta & Lena Constantin & Marielle Piber & Itia A. Favre-Bulle & Michael A. Taylor & Ann S. Blevins & Jean Giacomotto & Dani S. Bassett & Gilles C. Vanwalleghem & Ethan K. Scott, 2022. "Brain-wide visual habituation networks in wild type and fmr1 zebrafish," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, December.
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