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A rapid whisker-based decision underlying skilled locomotion in mice
Richard A Warren1, Qianyun Zhang1, Judah R Hoffman1
1Department of Neuroscience, Mortimer Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States.
Elife
|January 11, 2021
Summary
Mice use whisker input and body state to guide locomotion and avoid obstacles. Subcortical brain areas, not the whisker cortex, are sufficient for this sophisticated sensorimotor decision.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Skilled motor behavior integrates sensory input and internal state for movement decisions.
- Understanding rapid sensorimotor decisions in naturalistic behaviors is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To uncover the decision-making logic underlying sensory-guided locomotion in mice using advanced analytical methods.
- To investigate the neural substrates responsible for obstacle avoidance decisions.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution kinematic analysis utilizing machine learning approaches.
- Behavioral experiments involving obstacle detection and avoidance in mice.
- Lesion studies targeting sensory and motor cortex, and motor cortex manipulations.
Main Results:
- Mice employ distinct kinematic strategies for obstacle avoidance based on whisker-derived location estimates and body state.
- Lesions to the primary whisker sensory cortex had minimal impact on the decision-making process.
- Motor cortex manipulations affected strategy execution but not the underlying decision-making logic.
Conclusions:
- Subcortical brain structures appear sufficient for mediating sophisticated sensorimotor decisions in locomotion.
- Machine learning offers a powerful tool for the reductionist analysis of naturalistic behaviors.
- The study reveals a dissociation between decision-making and motor execution in sensorimotor control.
