Distinct prefrontal top-down circuits differentially modulate sensorimotor behavior

Rafiq Huda (), Grayson O. Sipe, Vincent Breton-Provencher, K. Guadalupe Cruz, Gerald N. Pho, Elie Adam, Liadan M. Gunter, Austin Sullins, Ian R. Wickersham and Mriganka Sur ()
Additional contact information
Rafiq Huda: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grayson O. Sipe: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Vincent Breton-Provencher: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
K. Guadalupe Cruz: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gerald N. Pho: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Elie Adam: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Liadan M. Gunter: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Austin Sullins: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ian R. Wickersham: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mriganka Sur: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Sensorimotor behaviors require processing of behaviorally relevant sensory cues and the ability to select appropriate responses from a vast behavioral repertoire. Modulation by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to be key for both processes, but the precise role of specific circuits remains unclear. We examined the sensorimotor function of anatomically distinct outputs from a subdivision of the mouse PFC, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Using a visually guided two-choice behavioral paradigm with multiple cue-response mappings, we dissociated the sensory and motor response components of sensorimotor control. Projection-specific two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetic manipulations show that ACC outputs to the superior colliculus, a key midbrain structure for response selection, principally coordinate specific motor responses. Importantly, ACC outputs exert control by reducing the innate response bias of the superior colliculus. In contrast, ACC outputs to the visual cortex facilitate sensory processing of visual cues. Our results ascribe motor and sensory roles to ACC projections to the superior colliculus and the visual cortex and demonstrate for the first time a circuit motif for PFC function wherein anatomically non-overlapping output pathways coordinate complementary but distinct aspects of visual sensorimotor behavior.

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19772-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-19772-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19772-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().