Pan-cortical 2-photon mesoscopic imaging and neurobehavioral alignment in awake, behaving mice.

The flow of neural activity across the neocortex during active sensory discrimination is constrained by task-specific cognitive demands, movements, and internal states. During behavior, the brain appears to sample from a broad repertoire of activation motifs. Understanding how these patterns of local and global activity are selected in relation to both spontaneous and task-dependent behavior requires in-depth study of densely sampled activity at single neuron resolution across large regions of cortex. In a significant advance toward this goal, we developed procedures to record mesoscale 2-photon Ca2+ imaging data from two novel in vivo preparations that, between them, allow simultaneous access to nearly all of the mouse dorsal and lateral neocortex. As a proof of principle, we aligned neural activity with both behavioral primitives and high-level motifs to reveal the existence of large populations of neurons that coordinated their activity across cortical areas with spontaneous changes in movement and/or arousal. The methods we detail here facilitate the identification and exploration of widespread, spatially heterogeneous neural ensembles whose activity is related to diverse aspects of behavior.

Pan-cortical 2-photon mesoscopic imaging and neurobehavioral alignment in awake, behaving mice.

The flow of neural activity across the neocortex during active sensory discrimination is constrained by task-specific cognitive demands, movements, and internal states. During behavior, the brain appears to sample from a broad repertoire of activation motifs. Understanding how these patterns of local and global activity are selected in relation to both spontaneous and task-dependent behavior requires in-depth study of densely sampled activity at single neuron resolution across large regions of cortex. In a significant advance toward this goal, we developed procedures to record mesoscale 2-photon Ca2+ imaging data from two novel in vivo preparations that, between them, allow for simultaneous access to nearly all 0f the mouse dorsal and lateral neocortex. As a proof of principle, we aligned neural activity with both behavioral primitives and high-level motifs to reveal the existence of large populations of neurons that coordinated their activity across cortical areas with spontaneous changes in movement and/or arousal. The methods we detail here facilitate the identification and exploration of widespread, spatially heterogeneous neural ensembles whose activity is related to diverse aspects of behavior.

Parvalbumin-Interneuron Output Synapses Show Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity that Contributes to Auditory Map Remodeling.

Parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons mediate fast inhibition of principal neurons in many brain areas; however, long-term plasticity at PV-interneuron output synapses has been less well studied. In the auditory cortex, thalamic inputs drive reliably timed action potentials (APs) in principal neurons and PV-interneurons. Using paired recordings in the input layer of the mouse auditory cortex, we found a marked spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) at PV-interneuron output synapses. Long-term potentiation of inhibition (iLTP) is observed upon postsynaptic (principal neuron) then presynaptic (PV-interneuron) AP firing. The opposite AP order causes GABAB-mediated long-term depression of inhibition (iLTD), which is developmentally converted to iLTP in an experience-dependent manner. Genetic deletion of GABAB receptors in principal neurons suppressed iLTD and produced deficits in auditory map remodeling. Output synapses of PV-interneurons thus show marked STDP, and one limb of this plasticity, GABAB-dependent iLTD, is a candidate mechanism for disinhibition during auditory critical period plasticity.