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Behavioral Strategy Determines Frontal or Posterior Location of Short-Term Memory in Neocortex.

  • Gilad A Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland. Electronic address: ariel.gilad@mail.huji.ac.il.
  • Gallero-Salas Y Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
  • Groos D Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
  • Helmchen F Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland. Electronic address: helmchen@hifo.uzh.ch.
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  • 2018-08-14
Published in:
  • Neuron. - 2018
barrel cortex
calcium imaging
fronto-posterior interactions
motor cortex
optogenetics
posterolateral cortex
secondary motor cortex
whisker
wide-field imaging
working memory
Animals
Discrimination Learning
Male
Memory, Short-Term
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Neocortex
Optogenetics
Random Allocation
English The location of short-term memory in mammalian neocortex remains elusive. Here we show that distinct neocortical areas maintain short-term memory depending on behavioral strategy. Using wide-field and single-cell calcium imaging, we measured layer 2/3 neuronal activity in mice performing a whisker-based texture discrimination task with delayed response. Mice either deployed an active strategy-engaging their body toward the approaching texture-or passively awaited the touch. Independent of strategy, whisker-related posterior areas encoded choice early after touch. During the delay, in contrast, persistent cortical activity was located medio-frontally in active trials but in a lateral posterior area in passive trials. Perturbing these areas impaired performance for the associated strategy and also provoked strategy switches. Frontally maintained information related to future action, whereas activity in the posterior cortex reflected past stimulus identity. Thus, depending on behavioral strategy, cortical activity is routed differentially to hold information either frontally or posteriorly before converging to similar action.
Language
  • English
Open access status
bronze
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Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/3718
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