Cortical circuits for cross-modal generalization

Maëlle Guyoton, Giulio Matteucci, Charlie G. Foucher, Matthew P. Getz, Julijana Gjorgjieva and Sami El-Boustani ()
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Maëlle Guyoton: University of Geneva
Giulio Matteucci: University of Geneva
Charlie G. Foucher: University of Geneva
Matthew P. Getz: Technical University of Munich
Julijana Gjorgjieva: Technical University of Munich
Sami El-Boustani: University of Geneva

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-23

Abstract: Abstract Adapting goal-directed behaviors to changing sensory conditions is a fundamental aspect of intelligence. The brain uses abstract representations of the environment to generalize learned associations across sensory modalities. The circuit organization that mediates such cross-modal generalizations remains, however, unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mice can bidirectionally generalize sensorimotor task rules between touch and vision by using abstract representations of peri-personal space within the cortex. Using large-scale mapping in the dorsal cortex at single-cell resolution, we discovered multimodal neurons with congruent spatial representations within multiple associative areas of the dorsal and ventral streams. Optogenetic sensory substitution and systematic silencing of these associative areas revealed that a single area in the dorsal stream is necessary and sufficient for cross-modal generalization. Our results identify and comprehensively describe a cortical circuit organization that underlies an essential cognitive function, providing a structural and functional basis for abstract reasoning in the mammalian brain.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59342-9

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