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Subcortical circuits mediate communication between primary sensory cortical areas in mice
Michael Lohse1,2, Johannes C Dahmen3, Victoria M Bajo3
1Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. michael.lohse@dpag.ox.ac.uk.
Nature Communications
|June 25, 2021
Summary
Sensory integration in the brain involves subcortical pathways. Tactile whisker stimulation suppresses auditory cortex activity via a descending circuit involving the somatosensory cortex and midbrain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory processing
- Auditory cortex research
Background:
- Multisensory integration is crucial for perception.
- Cortical neurons integrate sensory information, primarily via corticocortical connections.
- The role of subcortical circuits in multisensory cortical processing is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of subcortical circuits in multisensory integration.
- To elucidate the neural pathways underlying cross-modal interactions in the mouse brain.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings in mouse primary auditory cortex (A1).
- Stimulation of whiskers to evoke somatosensory responses.
- Tracing neural pathways involving the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), auditory midbrain, and thalamus.
Main Results:
- Whisker stimulation caused widespread suppression of sound-evoked activity in A1.
- This suppression was dependent on the primary somatosensory cortex (S1).
- A descending circuit from S1, through the auditory midbrain to thalamic neurons projecting to A1, mediated this suppression.
- A direct S1 pathway facilitated auditory responses in higher-order thalamic nuclei.
Conclusions:
- Subcortical circuits, particularly descending projections from S1, play a critical role in multisensory integration.
- Crossmodal corticofugal pathways to the auditory midbrain and thalamus are pivotal for integrating sensory signals.
- These pathways enable communication between different sensory cortical areas, shaping neural responses.
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