Vibrissa motor cortex activity suppresses contralateral whisking behavior
Nat Neurosci. 2016-10-31; 20(1): 82-89
DOI: 10.1038/nn.4437
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https://www.bordeaux-neurocampus.fr/12175
Ebbesen CL(1)(2), Doron G(1), Lenschow C(1), Brecht M(1).
Author information:
(1)Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
(2)Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin,
Germany.
Comment in
Nat Neurosci. 2016 Dec 27;20(1):4-6. doi: 10.1038/nn.4461.
Anatomical, stimulation and lesion data implicate vibrissa motor cortex in
whisker motor control. Work on motor cortex has focused on movement generation,
but correlations between vibrissa motor cortex activity and whisking are weak.
The exact role of vibrissa motor cortex remains unknown. We recorded vibrissa
motor cortex neurons during various forms of vibrissal touch, which were
invariably associated with whisker protraction and movement. Free whisking,
object palpation and social touch all resulted in decreased cortical activity.
To understand this activity decrease, we performed juxtacellular recordings,
nanostimulation and in vivo whole-cell recordings. Social touch resulted in
decreased spiking activity, decreased cell excitability and membrane
hyperpolarization. Activation of vibrissa motor cortex by intracortical
microstimulation elicited whisker retraction, as if to abort vibrissal touch.
Various vibrissa motor cortex inactivation protocols resulted in contralateral
protraction and increased whisker movements. These data collectively point to
movement suppression as a prime function of vibrissa motor cortex activity.
DOI: 10.1038/nn.4437
PMCID: PMC6485366
PMID: 27798633 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
Conflict of interest statement: Competing Financial Intersts None.