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Locomotion and Task Demands Differentially Modulate Thalamic Audiovisual Processing during Active Search.

Ross S Williamson¹, Kenneth E Hancock², Barbara G Shinn-Cunningham³

¹Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology, Boston University, 677 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

Current Biology : CB

|June 30, 2015

Summary

During active search, brain regions like the auditory (MG) and visual (LG) thalamus process sensory information. Movement and task relevance differently modulate neural activity in MG and LG, impacting target detection.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory processing
Thalamic function

Background:

Active search involves complex sensory processing modulated by internal states like movement and task relevance.
The thalamus, a key relay station, receives sensory input and is influenced by top-down signals, but how auditory (MG) and visual (LG) pathways are modulated de novo versus inherited is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how locomotion and task relevance differentially modulate neural responses in the auditory (MG) and visual (LG) thalamus during active sensory search.
To understand the extent of de novo modulation within the cortex versus inheritance from subcortical stations.

Main Methods:

Simultaneous electrophysiological recordings from the MG and LG of mice during an active search task.
Mice used dynamic auditory or visual feedback to locate a hidden target on an annular track.
Analysis of neural responses in relation to locomotion and the behavioral relevance of sensory stimuli.

Main Results:

Locomotion strongly suppressed MG responses and reduced decoding accuracy, while slightly increasing LG spiking.
Task relevance reduced overall LG responses but improved stimulus decoding when vision was relevant; MG responses were less affected by task relevance.
A double dissociation was observed in the modulation of MG and LG by locomotion and task relevance.

Conclusions:

The thalamus exhibits extrasensory modulation, with distinct roles for MG and LG in processing sensory information during active search.
Movement and task relevance exert differential modulatory influences on auditory and visual thalamic nuclei, suggesting distinct organizational principles in their modulatory circuitry.