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Extraretinal signals such as efference copy are generally thought to be critical for discounting visual image motion caused by eye movements. However, theoretical work suggests that eye rotations could be estimated directly from optic flow. Here the authors show that MT neurons use such ‘dynamic perspective’ cues to disambiguate depth.
M. Aghajan and colleagues recorded hippocampal activity in rats foraging in a two-dimensional virtual reality (VR) environment. Spatial selectivity was absent but phase precession was intact, occurring within 2-s-long hippocampal motifs. Selectivity to space and distance traveled were greatly enhanced when the rats repeatedly followed systematic paths. The results demonstrate that distal visual cues alone are insufficient to generate a robust hippocampal rate code for space but are sufficient to generate a temporal code.
In this study, the authors show that they can induce the direct conversion of fibroblasts into nociceptor neurons via the expression of only five key transcription factors. They further confirm that these induced neurons are bona fide nociceptors by demonstrating that their expression profiles resemble that of their endogenous counterparts and show that they are responsive to common nociceptor agonists.
Based on single cell RNA-sequencing of 622 adult mouse sensory neurons, Usoskin et al. performed unbiased classification to identify the cellular and molecular complexity underlying somatic sensation. Eleven different subtypes were identified, including some previously unknown populations such as a new class of neuron which may be sensitive to inflammatory itch.
In this study, the authors show that monkeys can learn to use non-biomimetic proprioceptive feedback, delivered via electrical microstimulation of somatosensory cortex, to guide motor movements. The monkeys also integrated this artificial feedback with vision to optimize motor performance. The results suggest new learning-based approaches both to providing sensory feedback for brain–machine interfaces and to studying the neural mechanisms of adaptive sensory integration.
In this study, the authors show that expression of Brn3a with Ngn1 or 2 can induce the direct reprogramming of mouse and human fibroblasts into peripheral sensory neurons. They further demonstrate that these neurons exhibit the expression profiles and physiological properties of mature sensory neurons and are responsive to nociceptor agonists.
Earlier work suggests that spatial phase preferences are randomly distributed throughout visual cortex. In this study, the authors present evidence towards a columnar organization for spatial phase that resembles organization for orientation preference, which suggests that this phase organization may contribute to the emergence of orientation maps.
A study links transient activation of the brain's reward system during a novel experience to frequent reactivation of memory traces during sleep and shows that artificial activation of the reward circuit can strengthen memories.
A study demonstrates that learning different character sets produces a repeatable arrangement of distinct cortical modules, suggesting that a preexisting cortical architecture is repurposed during learning.