Cell-Type-Specific Outcome Representation in the Primary Motor Cortex.

Adaptive movements are critical for animal survival. To guide future actions, the brain monitors various outcomes, including achievement of movement and appetitive goals. The nature of these outcome signals and their neuronal and network realization in the motor cortex (M1), which directs skilled movements, is largely unknown. Using a dexterity task, calcium imaging, optogenetic perturbations, and behavioral manipulations, we studied outcome signals in the murine forelimb M1. We found two populations of layer 2-3 neurons, termed success- and failure-related neurons, that develop with training, and report end results of trials. In these neurons, prolonged responses were recorded after success or failure trials independent of reward and kinematics. In addition, the initial state of layer 5 pyramidal tract neurons contained a memory trace of the previous trial's outcome. Intertrial cortical activity was needed to learn new task requirements. These M1 layer-specific performance outcome signals may support reinforcement motor learning of skilled behavior.

Texture coarseness responsive neurons and their mapping in layer 2-3 of the rat barrel cortex in vivo.

Texture discrimination is a fundamental function of somatosensory systems, yet the manner by which texture is coded and spatially represented in the barrel cortex are largely unknown. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in the rat barrel cortex during artificial whisking against different surface coarseness or controlled passive whisker vibrations simulating different coarseness, we show that layer 2-3 neurons within barrel boundaries differentially respond to specific texture coarsenesses, while only a minority of neurons responded monotonically with increased or decreased surface coarseness. Neurons with similar preferred texture coarseness were spatially clustered. Multi-contact single unit recordings showed a vertical columnar organization of texture coarseness preference in layer 2-3. These findings indicate that layer 2-3 neurons perform high hierarchical processing of tactile information, with surface coarseness embodied by distinct neuronal subpopulations that are spatially mapped onto the barrel cortex.