Venue : CARF
Defense in English
Tomás Garnier Artiñano
Team : Neural Basis of Perception
IINS
Thesis supervisor: Naoya Takahashi
Title
Characterisation of the spatiotemporal organisation of cholinergic input in the somatosensory cortex during tactile detection
Abstract
Understanding how the brain detects sensory inputs is a key challenge in neuroscience. Brain states exert a powerful and dynamic influence over the perception of sensory stimuli, with neuromodulatory systems playing a crucial role in regulating these states. The perceptual threshold, defined as the lowest stimulus intensity detectable half the time, varies with context, behavioural state, experience, and mood. However, the mechanisms controlling this threshold remain largely unknown.
Previous studies have demonstrated that cholinergic inputs modulate cortical activity, influencing the detection of sensory stimuli. Traditionally, neuromodulation was thought to have a widespread and uniform impact throughout the brain. However, anatomical evidence suggests that basal forebrain cholinergic neurons offer targeted innervation, potentially enabling localised modulation. There is limited evidence regarding the dynamics of cortical cholinergic modulation and its relevance to sensory perception.
In my thesis, I characterise the spatiotemporal organisation of cholinergic activity in the somatosensory cortex (S1) of mice engaged in tactile detection, by employing a whisker-based tactile detection task. I tested the role of S1 cholinergic activity in the mouse’s sensitivity to detect tactile stimuli showing how the activity patterns of this neuromodulator change behaviour.
Key words
Perception, Touch, Somatosensory Cortex, Cholinergic Input, Spatio-temporal dynamics
Publication
Jury
President/Chair:
Shauna Parkes
Raptors/Reviewer:
Valerie Ego-Stengel
Belen Pardi
Examiner:
Isabelle Ferezou (to be confirmed)
Yaroslav Sych
Guests :
Naoya Takahashi
Grégory Barrière