Low-Dimensional Spatiotemporal Dynamics Underlie Cortex-wide Neural Activity.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• Cognition emerges from complex, dynamic neural activity patterns across the brain.
• Understanding these large-scale neural dynamics is crucial for deciphering brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dimensionality and structure of cortex-wide neural activity in awake mice.
• To identify fundamental patterns (motifs) that govern brain dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mesoscale calcium imaging to record neural activity across the dorsal cortex of awake mice.
• Analyzed spatiotemporal patterns to identify recurring motifs of neural activity.

Main Results:

• A low-dimensional set of approximately 14 neural activity motifs explains a significant majority (~75%) of cortex-wide neural activity variance.
• These motifs represent unique spatiotemporal patterns and generalize across different animals and behavioral contexts.
• Motif expression varied with behavioral states and sensory processing, indicating a role in cortical computations.

Conclusions:

• Cortex-wide neural activity, while dynamic, is organized around a limited repertoire of fundamental motifs.
• These motifs may serve as building blocks for cortical computations and efficient behavioral control.