Dynamical prefrontal population coding during defensive behaviours

Jercog D(#)(1)(2), Winke N(#)(3)(4), Sung K(3)(4)(5), Fernandez MM(3)(4), Francioni C(3)(4), Rajot D(3)(4), Courtin J(3)(4)(6), Chaudun F(3)(4)(7), Jercog PE(8), Valerio S(3)(4)(9), Herry C(10)(11).

Author information:
(1)Univ. Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
.
(2)INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
.
(3)Univ. Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
(4)INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
(5)Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology (IBB), Pohang
University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea.
(6)Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
(7)Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva,
Geneva, Switzerland.
(8)Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital
Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
(9)Aquineuro SAS, Bordeaux, France.
(10)Univ. Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
.
(11)INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U1215, Bordeaux, France.
.
(#)Contributed equally

Coping with threatening situations requires both identifying stimuli that
predict danger and selecting adaptive behavioural responses to survive1. The
dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is a critical structure that is involved
in the regulation of threat-related behaviour2-4. However, it is unclear how
threat-predicting stimuli and defensive behaviours are associated within
prefrontal networks to successfully drive adaptive responses. Here we used a
combination of extracellular recordings, neuronal decoding approaches,
pharmacological and optogenetic manipulations to show that, in mice, threat
representations and the initiation of avoidance behaviour are dynamically
encoded in the overall population activity of dmPFC neurons. Our data indicate
that although dmPFC population activity at stimulus onset encodes sustained
threat representations driven by the amygdala, it does not predict action
outcome. By contrast, transient dmPFC population activity before the initiation
of action reliably predicts avoided from non-avoided trials. Accordingly,
optogenetic inhibition of prefrontal activity constrained the selection of
adaptive defensive responses in a time-dependent manner. These results reveal
that the adaptive selection of defensive responses relies on a dynamic process
of information linking threats with defensive actions, unfolding within
prefrontal networks.

© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

 

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus