Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2025
06:18
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
Published on: November 21, 2023
833
Sensation and expectation are embedded in mouse motor cortical activity
Brooke E Holey1,2, David M Schneider1
1Center for Neural Science, New York University.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|September 25, 2023
Summary
Neurons in the secondary motor cortex (M2) encode not just movement, but also sensory experiences and expectations. This motor cortex region dynamically exchanges information with auditory cortex, gating sound responses based on predictability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- The motor cortex generates corollary discharge signals sent to sensory areas.
- It is unclear if these signals encode only movement or also sensory experience and expectation.
Approach:
- Combined closed-loop behavior with large-scale physiology, projection-pattern specific recordings, and circuit perturbations in mice.
- Investigated neural activity in the secondary motor cortex (M2) during behavior.
Key Points:
- Secondary motor cortex (M2) neurons encode sensation and are influenced by expectation.
- Unexpected sounds evoked by movement dominated M2 activity, with partial inheritance from auditory cortex.
- M2 activity was routed back to the auditory cortex, enabling sensory-motor information exchange.
- Predictable sound consequences of movement led to selective gating off of M2 responses to self-generated sounds.
Conclusions:
- Motor cortical activity is richly embedded with sensory and expectation signals.
- Findings reveal a dynamic pathway for sensory-motor information exchange during behavior.
- M2 plays a crucial role in integrating movement, sensation, and expectation.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Somatosensation
36.7K
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
36.7K
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
4.0K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
4.0K
01:24Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
539
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
539