Work

Unexpected events trigger task-independent signaling in VIP and excitatory neurons of mouse visual cortex

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The visual cortex predicts incoming sensory stimuli through internal models that are updated following unexpected events. Cortical inhibitory neurons, particularly vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons, play a critical role in representing unexpected stimuli. Notably, this response is stimulus non-specific, raising the question of what information it conveys. Given their unique connectivity, we hypothesized that during unexpected stimuli, VIP neurons encode broad context signals, referred to here as task-independent information. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the Allen Institute Visual Behavior dataset, in which mice viewed repeated familiar images and unexpected omissions of these images, while two-photon calcium imaging was performed from distinct cell types across primary and higher-order visual areas. Using dimensionality reduction methods, we found that, in contrast to image presentations, unexpected omissions trigger task-independent signaling in VIP and excitatory neurons. This signaling may facilitate the integration of contextual and sensory information, enabling updated predictions.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111728

Authors: Farzaneh Najafi, Simone Russo, Jérôme Lecoq

Institutions: Georgia Institute of Technology, Allen Institute for Brain Science, University of Milan, The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240

Funder: Allen Institute