Direction of motion decoding in mouse V1: Neuron predictive power relates to functional connectivity organization

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• Single neuron variability complicates visual stimulus representation.
• Integrating multi-neuron responses enhances accuracy for behaviorally relevant stimuli.
• The primary visual cortex (V1) is key for initial visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of high predictive power (HPP) neurons in decoding visual motion direction.
• To characterize the functional connectivity and activity patterns of HPP neurons during visual stimulation and resting states.
• To understand how HPP neurons contribute to information processing in the mouse V1.

Main Methods:

• In vivo mesoscopic 2-photon calcium imaging of mouse V1.
• Presentation of 16 distinct visual motion directions as stimuli.
• Mutual information analysis to identify HPP neurons.
• Analysis of neuronal firing rates and functional connectivity.

Main Results:

• HPP neurons exhibit elevated firing rates and denser, stronger functional connectivity during visual stimulation.
• Functional connections among HPP neurons are distance-independent, suggesting a distributed network.
• During resting state, HPP neurons show lower activity and connectivity, differing from other visually responsive neurons.
• HPP neurons display diverse tuning properties, with some sharply tuned and others broadly tuned yet informative.

Conclusions:

• HPP neurons form a critical, coordinated network for visual motion decoding in mouse V1.
• The distinct activity patterns of HPP neurons in stimulus vs. resting states highlight their specialized role.
• These findings advance our understanding of neural ensemble organization and information processing in the visual cortex.