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Motor cortex somatostatin interneurons adaptively shape the structure of action sequences
Jeong Oen Lee1, Sebastiano Bariselli1,2,3, Giacomo Sitzia1,4
1Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience (LIN), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nature Communications
|March 18, 2026
Summary
Primary motor cortex somatostatin interneurons (SST-INs) dynamically regulate action sequences during motor learning. These neurons refine motor programs for efficient, task-specific execution, revealing a novel role in adaptive motor control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- The primary motor cortex (M1) is crucial for motor learning and skilled movements.
- Understanding how cortical microcircuits refine action sequences is essential for explaining adaptive motor control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of M1 somatostatin interneurons (SST-INs) in refining action sequence timing and structure during motor skill acquisition.
- To elucidate the dynamic activity patterns of SST-INs in relation to behavioral performance.
Main Methods:
- Calcium imaging in freely moving mice performing a lever-press task.
- Analysis of neural activity patterns of M1 SST-INs and pyramidal neurons during different training phases.
- Optogenetic inhibition of SST-INs to assess their causal role in motor execution.
Main Results:
- M1 SST-INs exhibited synchronized, action-locked activity during initial learning, contrasting with pyramidal neuron sequential activation.
- SST-IN activity decoupled from actions after extensive training but re-emerged and correlated with sequence changes when task demands were altered.
- Inhibiting SST-INs impaired temporal organization and motor execution efficiency.
Conclusions:
- M1 SST-INs play a critical, dynamic role in refining motor programs for task-specific efficiency.
- These interneurons are key to adaptive motor control, adjusting action sequences based on changing behavioral demands.
- The findings reveal an unexpected mechanism by which cortical circuits optimize motor behavior.
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