Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The coordinated changes of neural activity during learning, from single neurons to populations of neurons and their interactions across brain areas, remain poorly understood. To reveal specific learning-related changes, we applied multi-area two-photon calcium imaging in mouse neocortex during training of a sensory discrimination task. We uncovered coordinated adaptations in primary somatosensory area S1 and the anterior (A) and rostrolateral (RL) areas of posterior parietal cortex (PPC). At the single-neuron level, task-learning was marked by increased number and stabilized responses of task neurons. At the population level, responses exhibited decreased dimensionality and reduced trial-to-trial variability, paralleled by enhanced encoding of task information. The PPC areas became gradually engaged, opening additional within-area subspaces and inter-area subspaces with S1. Task encoding subspaces gradually aligned with these interaction subspaces. Behavioral errors correlated with decreased encoding accuracy and misaligned subspaces. Thus, multi-level adaptations within and across cortical areas contribute to learning-related refinement of sensory processing and decision-making.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Shuting Han, Fritjof Helmchen
Institution: University of Zurich
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Awards: CHiral2: Untersuchungen zum Ursprung der chiroptischen Eigenschaften von mehrkernigen Metallthiolat-Komplexen (Cluster) in Metallothionein, G4153492756, Neural mechanisms of memory consolidation in neocortex, Neural Processing of Distinct Prediction Errors: Theory, Mechanisms & Interventions
OpenAlex ID: W4413332255