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| Open AccessPosition- and scale-invariant object-centered spatial localization in monkey frontoparietal cortex dynamically adapts to cognitive demand
The neural basis of spatial localization is poorly understood. Here the authors showed that when planning a reach towards an object, neural coding in the frontoparietal network dynamically changes between allocentric and egocentric spatial reference frames where the transition is controlled by task demands.
- Bahareh Taghizadeh
- , Ole Fortmann
- & Alexander Gail
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Article
| Open AccessConjunctive encoding of exploratory intentions and spatial information in the hippocampus
The hippocampus maps space, but its role in encoding investigatory intentions is unclear. Here the authors show that certain CA1 neurons encode both spatial information and animals’ intention to explore, depending on input from lateral entorhinal cortex.
- Yi-Fan Zeng
- , Ke-Xin Yang
- & Ning Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessMultiple processes of vocal sensory-motor interaction in primate auditory cortex
The neural processes underlying vocal self-monitoring are unclear. Here, the authors show that vocal suppression of auditory cortex operates on two time-scales with different temporal and acoustic precision, suggesting distinct predictive modulations.
- Joji Tsunada
- , Xiaoqin Wang
- & Steven J. Eliades
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Article
| Open AccessWalking modulates visual detection performance according to stride cycle phase
“Visual performance might vary during natural behaviour such as walking. Here, the authors use wireless virtual reality to show that oscillations in performance on a visual detection task were systematically linked to the phase of the stride cycle.”
- Matthew J. Davidson
- , Frans A. J. Verstraten
- & David Alais
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| Open AccessEnvironment geometry alters subiculum boundary vector cell receptive fields in adulthood and early development
How neural responses to boundaries develop in the subiculum remains unknown. Here authors show that the receptive fields of Boundary Vector Cells (neurons signalling vector displacement to boundaries) are altered by environment geometry, with directional tunings aligning with square arena walls, including during development.
- Laurenz Muessig
- , Fabio Ribeiro Rodrigues
- & Thomas J. Wills
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| Open AccessFinding the gap: neuromorphic motion-vision in dense environments
Inspired by insects in nature, the authors develop a neuromorphic robotic system with obstacle avoidance, tunnel centering and gap crossing capabilities. Their robotic system accomplishes these multiple capabilities by steering towards regions of low apparent motion.
- Thorben Schoepe
- , Ella Janotte
- & Elisabetta Chicca
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Article
| Open AccessTrial-history biases in evidence accumulation can give rise to apparent lapses in decision-making
Trial-history biases and lapses are two commonly observed suboptimalities in decision-making that have been traditionally considered distinct. In this study, the authors show that they can both arise from a single underlying mechanism.
- Diksha Gupta
- , Brian DePasquale
- & Carlos D. Brody
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| Open AccessHuman brain representations of internally generated outcomes of approximate calculation revealed by ultra-high-field brain imaging
How the brain represents quantities remains unclear. Here the authors identify dorsal stream sensory-motor integration areas as a candidate region for the internal generation of numerical contents during mental calculations.
- Sébastien Czajko
- , Alexandre Vignaud
- & Evelyn Eger
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| Open AccessFunctional neuronal circuits emerge in the absence of developmental activity
How functional neuronal circuits are established during development is not fully understood. Here the authors show, by raising fish in the dark and under anesthesia, that brain activity is not needed for the development of complex, decision-making circuits.
- Dániel L. Barabási
- , Gregor F. P. Schuhknecht
- & Florian Engert
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Article
| Open AccessA direction-selective cortico-brainstem pathway adaptively modulates innate behaviors
The visual cortex adapts innate behaviors through its corticofugal projections to the brainstem. Here, authors show that this pathway sends unique brainstem neurons distinct behaviorally relevant signals, whose strength can plastically change to promote behavioral adaptation.
- Jiashu Liu
- , Yingtian He
- & Bao-hua Liu
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Article
| Open AccessCortical reactivation of spatial and non-spatial features coordinates with hippocampus to form a memory dialogue
The mechanisms of episodic memory are not well understood. Here, the authors show that the reactivation of non-spatial information precedes the reactivation of spatial information, and that both are correlated with hippocampal sharp-wave ripples.
- HaoRan Chang
- , Ingrid M. Esteves
- & Bruce L. McNaughton
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Article
| Open AccessA synaptic corollary discharge signal suppresses midbrain visual processing during saccade-like locomotion
How the visual system differentiates between external motion and sensory input arising from self-motion is poorly understood. Here, the authors investigate how motor-related synaptic signals impact neural activity in a key visual center during locomotion.
- Mir Ahsan Ali
- , Katharina Lischka
- & Johann H. Bollmann
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Article
| Open AccessSynaptic mechanisms for associative learning in the cerebellar nuclei
The role of the cerebellar nuclei (CN) during associative learning remains debated. Here, the authors show that well-timed conditioned responses can result from stimulating CN inputs, and that learning coincides with structural and synaptic activity changes in vivo.
- Robin Broersen
- , Catarina Albergaria
- & Chris I. De Zeeuw
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Article
| Open AccessSuperior colliculus bidirectionally modulates choice activity in frontal cortex
Multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions are implicated in decision-making, yet their causal interactions remain unclear. Here, the authors identified cellular and circuit interactions that bias cortical decision-making dynamics and behavior.
- Alyse Thomas
- , Weiguo Yang
- & Nuo Li
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Article
| Open AccessNeural control of lexical tone production in human laryngeal motor cortex
In tonal languages, modulation of pitch distinguishes words with different meaning. Here the authors investigate neural mechanisms of pitch control during lexical tone production in Mandarin-speaking participants.
- Junfeng Lu
- , Yuanning Li
- & Edward F. Chang
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| Open AccessEmergence of cortical network motifs for short-term memory during learning
How learning refines the coordinated activitity of neurons across multiple regions of the mouse cortex remains unclear. Here, the authors identified the emergence of cortical subnetworks during learning of a sensorimotor task.
- Xin Wei Chia
- , Jian Kwang Tan
- & Hiroshi Makino
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| Open AccessSensorimotor transformation underlying odor-modulated locomotion in walking Drosophila
Animals find and stay close to resources by altering their locomotion in response to odors that signal resources. Here the authors identify, using Drosophila locomotion in response to odor, a simple strategy that adapts its motor program to sensory context automatically.
- Liangyu Tao
- , Samuel P. Wechsler
- & Vikas Bhandawat
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| Open AccessPresynaptic gating of monkey proprioceptive signals for proper motor action
The role of presynaptic modulation on peripheral sensory input during voluntary movement is unclear. Here, the authors found it flexibly facilitates and suppresses proprioceptive input to the monkey’s spinal cord, relevant to motor behavior.
- Saeka Tomatsu
- , GeeHee Kim
- & Kazuhiko Seki
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Article
| Open AccessInitial conditions combine with sensory evidence to induce decision-related dynamics in premotor cortex
It remains unclear why some decisions take longer than others even when the sensory inputs are similar. Here, the authors show that both initial neural state and sensory input combine in the premotor cortex to influence the speed and geometry of neural population activity during decisions.
- Pierre O. Boucher
- , Tian Wang
- & Chandramouli Chandrasekaran
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Article
| Open AccessNeural representation of goal direction in the monarch butterfly brain
Neural coding of goal direction remains unclear in insects. Here, the authors describe goal-direction neurons in the monarch butterfly brain that specifically encode the insect’s desired flight direction during spatial orientation.
- M. Jerome Beetz
- , Christian Kraus
- & Basil el Jundi
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Article
| Open AccessA frontal transcallosal inhibition loop mediates interhemispheric balance in visuospatial processing
Impaired transcallosal inhibition is believed to underlie visuospatial bias after frontoparietal damage, but the synaptic circuits involved remain largely unknown. Here, authors show a transcallosal inhibition loop in the anterior cingulate area that functions in visuospatial processing by maintaining balanced interhemispheric interactions.
- Yanjie Wang
- , Zhaonan Chen
- & Siyu Zhang
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| Open AccessBilateral human laryngeal motor cortex in perceptual decision of lexical tone and voicing of consonant
The role of the laryngeal motor cortex (LMC) in speech perception is poorly understood. Here, using transcranial magnetic stimulation, the authors found a causal contribution of bilateral LMC to consonant and lexical tone perception.
- Baishen Liang
- , Yanchang Li
- & Yi Du
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Article
| Open AccessDynamic spatial coding in parietal cortex mediates tactile-motor transformation
The neural coding of tactile processing and movement planning in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is not well understood. Here, the authors show a distinction between anatomical and spatial location coding in the anterior and posterior PPC respectively during sensory processing, and that the PPC dynamically integrates this information with task requirements to derive a movement goal in space during motor planning.
- Janina Klautke
- , Celia Foster
- & Tobias Heed
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Article
| Open AccessPurkinje cell microzones mediate distinct kinematics of a single movement
Purkinje cells form a diverse population, but how diversity contributes to cerebellar behavior is not fully understood. Here, the authors reveal how nuances in molecular signatures correlate with electrophysiological, anatomical, and ultimately functional differences among Purkinje cell subpopulations.
- François G. C. Blot
- , Joshua J. White
- & Martijn Schonewille
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| Open AccessBehavioral decomposition reveals rich encoding structure employed across neocortex in rats
Active movement drives neural activity throughout cortex, but it is unclear how different cortical systems might use such signals. Here, the authors shed light on this by mapping how sensory and motor cortical areas encode naturalistic 3D behavior.
- Bartul Mimica
- , Tuçe Tombaz
- & Jonathan R. Whitlock
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Article
| Open AccessDetailed characterization of neural selectivity in free viewing primates
Studying visual processing during natural eye movements in untrained animals is challenging. Here, the authors provide a method for accurately measuring the retinal input to study visual processing and neural selectivity during natural oculomotor behavior in non-human primates.
- Jacob L. Yates
- , Shanna H. Coop
- & Jude F. Mitchell
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| Open AccessA distributed and efficient population code of mixed selectivity neurons for flexible navigation decisions
Animals flexibly and rapidly adapt navigation routes to the environment and context. Here, the authors find that the flexibility in navigation decisions arises from cells distributed in posterior cortex, each of which mixes sensory and memory information.
- Shinichiro Kira
- , Houman Safaai
- & Christopher D. Harvey
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Article
| Open AccessDynamical latent state computation in the male macaque posterior parietal cortex
Natural behaviors induce changes to hidden states of the world that may be vital to track. Here, in monkeys navigating virtually to hidden goals, the authors show that neural interactions in the posterior parietal cortex play a role in tracking displacement from an unobservable goal.
- Kaushik J. Lakshminarasimhan
- , Eric Avila
- & Dora E. Angelaki
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Article
| Open AccessBiomechanics and neural circuits for vestibular-induced fine postural control in larval zebrafish
The postural control mechanism in fish is unclear. Here, authors show that larval zebrafish recover upright posture after roll tilts by a body bend that produces corrective rotational torque. They also reveal the associated neural circuits and muscles.
- Takumi Sugioka
- , Masashi Tanimoto
- & Shin-ichi Higashijima
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Article
| Open AccessOngoing movement controls sensory integration in the dorsolateral striatum
The basal ganglia process sensory and motor related information, but it is not known how movement affects sensory integration. Here, the authors show using in vivo whole-cell recordings that striatal neurons respond to both sensory stimuli and spontaneous whisking and that sensory responses are attenuated by whisking.
- Roberto de la Torre-Martinez
- , Maya Ketzef
- & Gilad Silberberg
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Article
| Open AccessParabrachial tachykinin1-expressing neurons involved in state-dependent breathing control
Breathing is controlled automatically but is also conditionally integrated with behavior and emotion in awake animals. Here, authors identify brainstem neurons that are important for controlling awake-state-dependent breathing patterns in mice.
- Joseph W. Arthurs
- , Anna J. Bowen
- & Nathan A. Baertsch
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Article
| Open AccessIntrafusal-fiber LRP4 for muscle spindle formation and maintenance in adult and aged animals
Muscle spindles sense muscle tension to coordinate body movement. This paper reveals a mechanism of spindle formation and maintenance and to better understanding changes in movement in muscle disorders and ageing.
- Rangjuan Cao
- , Peng Chen
- & Lin Mei
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| Open AccessInferring visual space from ultra-fine extra-retinal knowledge of gaze position
It is unknown how humans establish stable visual percepts despite the incessant motion of their eyes. Here the authors report that visual judgments of spatial relations incorporate fine-scale motor knowledge of eye position.
- Zhetuo Zhao
- , Ehud Ahissar
- & Michele Rucci
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| Open AccessNumber selective sensorimotor neurons in the crow translate perceived numerosity into number of actions
Translating a perceived number into a matching number of self-generated actions is key in numerical reasoning. Here, the authors report sensorimotor neurons in the crow telencephalon that signaled the impending number of self-generated actions.
- Maximilian E. Kirschhock
- & Andreas Nieder
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| Open AccessFunctional architecture of executive control and associated event-related potentials in macaques
The authors examine the cortical microcircuitry relating to executive control in macaques. They describe three classes of neurons that signal response conflict, event timing, and maintenance of task goals, as well as their relations with event-related potentials that are associated with response inhibition.
- Amirsaman Sajad
- , Steven P. Errington
- & Jeffrey D. Schall
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Article
| Open AccessPersistent activity in human parietal cortex mediates perceptual choice repetition bias
There is a well-known behavioral tendency to repeat past decisions, but the neural basis of this tendency remains unclear. Here the authors show that persistent activity in parietal cortex seems to play a key role in these idiosyncratic choice repetition biases.
- Anne E. Urai
- & Tobias H. Donner
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Article
| Open AccessCrowding results from optimal integration of visual targets with contextual information
Visual crowding is a phenomenon where objects presented in the visual periphery are not resolved efficiently. Here the authors show that crowding may derive from an optimizing strategy that blends information when it is similar and preserves it when it is dissimilar.
- Guido Marco Cicchini
- , Giovanni D’Errico
- & David Charles Burr
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Article
| Open AccessFlexible cue anchoring strategies enable stable head direction coding in both sighted and blind animals
Vision plays an important role in the head direction cell system in animals. Here the authors recorded from head direction cells in rd1 mice that show retinal degeneration at 1 month, and find that they use smell cues to maintain stable HD tuning.
- Kadjita Asumbisa
- , Adrien Peyrache
- & Stuart Trenholm
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Article
| Open AccessDegenerate boundaries for multiple-alternative decisions
How animals make multiple-choice decisions over three or more alternatives is not well understood. Here the authors use simulations to uncover that there is not one but many optimal parameter value configurations on the reward landscape of the multiple-choice threshold boundaries.
- Sophie-Anne Baker
- , Thom Griffith
- & Nathan F. Lepora
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Article
| Open AccessOrganization of the gravity-sensing system in zebrafish
How sensory systems are organized during development remains unclear. Here, the authors used electron microscopy to examine the gravity-sensing system in zebrafish, finding that directional tuning and developmental age are organizing principles of the transformation from vestibular sensation to motor control.
- Zhikai Liu
- , David G. C. Hildebrand
- & Martha W. Bagnall
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| Open AccessConserved subcortical processing in visuo-vestibular gaze control
Here, the authors show that gaze stabilization relies on a visuo-vestibular network conserved from lamprey to primates. This primordial blueprint highlights how visual and vestibular streams are organized to control fundamental aspects of eye movements.
- Tobias Wibble
- , Tony Pansell
- & Juan Pérez-Fernández
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Article
| Open AccessA neural circuit for wind-guided olfactory navigation
Flies navigate to food sources by combining odour and wind-direction cues. This study identifies pathways to the fan-shaped body that encode these signals, and demonstrates how local neurons integrate odour- and wind information to guide navigation.
- Andrew M. M. Matheson
- , Aaron J. Lanz
- & Katherine I. Nagel
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| Open AccessA conflict between spatial selection and evidence accumulation in area LIP
In primate area LIP, target selection and the accumulation of sensory evidence are considered a single process. Here, the authors use urgent choice tasks to show that spatial selection in LIP is distinct from, and may even conflict with, evidence accumulation.
- Joshua A. Seideman
- , Terrence R. Stanford
- & Emilio Salinas
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence accumulation occurs locally in the parietal cortex
The source of the evidence accumulation signal widely observed in the brain during decision making is unknown. Here, the authors used a two-stage decision task to show that the accumulation signal in the posterior parietal cortex arises locally.
- Zhewei Zhang
- , Chaoqun Yin
- & Tianming Yang
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Article
| Open AccessEcholocation-related reversal of information flow in a cortical vocalization network
How cortical areas interact during vocalization is not fully understood. Here the authors show that when bats vocalize, the behavioral function of emitted sounds determines the direction of information flow between frontal and auditory cortices.
- Francisco García-Rosales
- , Luciana López-Jury
- & Julio C. Hechavarría
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Article
| Open AccessStable choice coding in rat frontal orienting fields across model-predicted changes of mind
A leaky accumulation model can predict rats’ changes of mind during decision making in a dynamic environment explaining reversals in frontal cortical activity and demonstrating a stable choice code despite environmental uncertainty.
- J. Tyler Boyd-Meredith
- , Alex T. Piet
- & Carlos D. Brody
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular encoding and synaptic decoding of context during salt chemotaxis in C. elegans
The nematode C. elegans moves around to find an optimal environment. This work demonstrates how it can detect and move towards a previously learned salinity using the salt-sensing neuron ASER.
- Shingo Hiroki
- , Hikari Yoshitane
- & Yuichi Iino
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Article
| Open AccessLocomotion-induced ocular motor behavior in larval Xenopus is developmentally tuned by visuo-vestibular reflexes
Visual perception works best when eye movement counteracts the effects of body movement. This study describes how such coordination first emerges and matures during development in frog larvae.
- Julien Bacqué-Cazenave
- , Gilles Courtand
- & François M. Lambert
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Article
| Open AccessNeural signals regulating motor synchronization in the primate deep cerebellar nuclei
It remains unclear how the brain represents information regarding synchronized movements. Here, the authors investigated the response properties of cerebellar cells in macaques performing a synchronized saccade task and found three groups of cerebellar neurons with distinct peri-saccade response profiles.
- Ken-ichi Okada
- , Ryuji Takeya
- & Masaki Tanaka