Variability and information content in auditory cortex spike trains during an interval-discrimination task
Variability and information content in auditory cortex spike trains during an interval-discrimination task
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DOI：
10.1152/jn.00381.2013
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发表时间：
2013-11-01
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Sanchez-Vives, M. V.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Abolafia, Juan M.;Martinez-Garcia, M.;Sanchez-Vives, M. V.
时间信息的加工是听觉加工的关键。在这项研究中，我们记录了大鼠听觉皮层的单单位活动，而他们执行的区间辨别任务。动物必须决定两个听觉刺激是相隔150毫秒还是300毫秒，并相应地向左或向右戳鼻子。然后比较了在忙碌与空闲的大脑状态下听觉皮层中单个神经元的尖峰放电。我们发现，与Fano因子测量的尖峰放电变异性显着减少，不仅在刺激，但也在从事试验的刺激之间。我们接下来探索这种变异性的降低是否与信息编码的增加有关。我们的信息理论分析表明，在参与过程中的听觉反应，特别是在对任务相关的刺激的反应，与空闲状态相比，增加了信息内容。总之，我们表明，任务参与显着调制编码性能的听觉皮层神经元在一个时间间隔歧视任务。
Processing of temporal information is key in auditory processing. In this study, we recorded single-unit activity from rat auditory cortex while they performed an interval-discrimination task. The animals had to decide whether two auditory stimuli were separated by either 150 or 300 ms and nose-poke to the left or to the right accordingly. The spike firing of single neurons in the auditory cortex was then compared in engaged vs. idle brain states. We found that spike firing variability measured with the Fano factor was markedly reduced, not only during stimulation, but also in between stimuli in engaged trials. We next explored if this decrease in variability was associated with an increased information encoding. Our information theory analysis revealed increased information content in auditory responses during engagement compared with idle states, in particular in the responses to task-relevant stimuli. Altogether, we demonstrate that task-engagement significantly modulates coding properties of auditory cortical neurons during an interval-discrimination task.