Locomotion-dependent remapping of distributed cortical networks.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Neocortical interactions are dynamic and state-dependent.
• Understanding how individual neurons integrate into large-scale brain networks is crucial but challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how individual neurons in primary visual (V1) and retrosplenial (RSP) cortex couple to cortex-wide network dynamics.
• To determine if and how these neuronal coupling patterns change with brain state, specifically during locomotion.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous recording of single-unit spiking in V1 and RSP with widefield calcium imaging of dorsal cortical activity.
• Correlation analysis to map neuronal spiking to spatially distributed network activity patterns.
• Analysis of changes in neuronal coupling patterns during locomotion compared to rest.

Main Results:

• Neurons exhibited distinct and reproducible patterns of coupling to cortical activity, ranging from local to distal.
• The degree of distal coupling was predictable based on local network correlation.
• Locomotion altered neuronal coupling: V1 neurons showed increased affiliation with higher visual and motor areas, while RSP neurons strengthened connections with sensory cortices.

Conclusions:

• Individual neurons display diverse coupling strategies to cortex-wide activity.
• Locomotion restructures these neuronal coupling patterns in an area-specific manner.
• This restructuring suggests a shift in the mode of cortical processing during locomotion.