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Detailed mapping of behavior reveals the formation of prelimbic neural ensembles across operant learning

Study Authors Yan Zhang and Alex Denman

Yan Zhang and Alex Denman

Hot Off the Press – January 3, 2022

Published in Neuron by Yan Zhang, Alex Denman, and Da-Ting Lin, et al. of the NIDA IRP Neural Engineering Section.

Zhang and Denman et al developed deep behavior mapping (DBM), a self-supervised learning method for fine-grained analysis of behavioral micro-states in video data. They combined DBM with miniScope in vivo calcium imaging in freely moving mice to show that neurons in the prelimbic cortex represent a wide variety of behaviors, especially the sequence of behaviors involved in pressing a lever for food reward and continuous sequences of exploratory behaviors. This demonstrates that prelimbic neurons are not only associated with the important events in a behavioral sequence, but with the entire sequence from start to finish in the operant learning. When animals learned a new behavior, neurons with weak and unstable tuning are recruited to encode newly learned behaviors.

Publication Information

Zhang, Yan; Denman, Alexander J; Liang, Bo; Werner, Craig T; Beacher, Nicholas J; Chen, Rong; Li, Yun; Shaham, Yavin; Barbera, Giovanni; Lin, Da-Ting

Detailed mapping of behavior reveals the formation of prelimbic neural ensembles across operant learning Journal Article

In: Neuron, 2021, ISSN: 1097-4199.

Abstract | Links

@article{pmid34921779,
title = {Detailed mapping of behavior reveals the formation of prelimbic neural ensembles across operant learning},
author = {Yan Zhang and Alexander J Denman and Bo Liang and Craig T Werner and Nicholas J Beacher and Rong Chen and Yun Li and Yavin Shaham and Giovanni Barbera and Da-Ting Lin},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34921779/},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.022},
issn = {1097-4199},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-01},
urldate = {2021-12-01},
journal = {Neuron},
abstract = {The prelimbic cortex (PrL) is involved in the organization of operant behaviors, but the relationship between longitudinal PrL neural activity and operant learning and performance is unknown. Here, we developed deep behavior mapping (DBM) to identify behavioral microstates in video recordings. We combined DBM with longitudinal calcium imaging to quantify behavioral tuning in PrL neurons as mice learned an operant task. We found that a subset of PrL neurons were strongly tuned to highly specific behavioral microstates, both task and non-task related. Overlapping neural ensembles were tiled across consecutive microstates in the response-reinforcer sequence, forming a continuous map. As mice learned the operant task, weakly tuned neurons were recruited into new ensembles, with a bias toward behaviors similar to their initial tuning. In summary, our data suggest that the PrL contains neural ensembles that jointly encode a map of behavioral states that is fine grained, is continuous, and grows during operant learning.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

Close

The prelimbic cortex (PrL) is involved in the organization of operant behaviors, but the relationship between longitudinal PrL neural activity and operant learning and performance is unknown. Here, we developed deep behavior mapping (DBM) to identify behavioral microstates in video recordings. We combined DBM with longitudinal calcium imaging to quantify behavioral tuning in PrL neurons as mice learned an operant task. We found that a subset of PrL neurons were strongly tuned to highly specific behavioral microstates, both task and non-task related. Overlapping neural ensembles were tiled across consecutive microstates in the response-reinforcer sequence, forming a continuous map. As mice learned the operant task, weakly tuned neurons were recruited into new ensembles, with a bias toward behaviors similar to their initial tuning. In summary, our data suggest that the PrL contains neural ensembles that jointly encode a map of behavioral states that is fine grained, is continuous, and grows during operant learning.

Close

  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34921779/
  • doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.022

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