Published May 12, 2025
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V1 Neurons Track the Rate-of-Change of Behavioral Variables
Creators
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1.
Aix-Marseille Université
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2.
École Normale Supérieure - PSL
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3.
University of Cyprus
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4.
Middle East Technical University
- 5. Neuromatch Academy
Description
Population-level neuronal dynamics across the brain are shaped by behavioral state variables, such as running speed or pupil area. Given this real-time integration of state variables within sensory networks, we hypothesized that neurons also track their rate-of-change, providing additional valuable information about fluctuations in behavioral state. We demonstrate that both state variables and their rate of change (first temporal derivatives) can be decoded from population-level activity in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) during both spontaneous behavior and sensory stimulation. This parallel encoding regime relies on partially overlapping neural populations, with some neurons encoding behavioral state, its rate-of-change, or both. Our findings suggest that neural activity within a primary sensory region not only represents an animal’s current behavioral state but also tracks its immediate fluctuations.
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ISP2025-G-Stringers-Codes.zip
Additional details
Related works
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- Presentation: https://youtu.be/yT5KBakPnac?feature=shared (URL)
Funding
- Neuromatch
- Impact Scholars Program
References
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