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Higher-Order Visual Cortex Shows Stronger Neural Correlates of Visual and Multisensory Detection Behavior Compared to Primary Visual Cortex

52 Pages Posted: 8 Jul 2019 Publication Status: Published

See all articles by Guido Meijer

Guido Meijer

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences

Pietro Marchesi

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences

Jorge Mejias

University of Amsterdam

Jorrit Montijn

University of Amsterdam

Carien Lansink

University of Amsterdam

Cyriel Pennartz

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences

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Abstract

We act upon stimuli in our surrounding environment by gathering the multisensory they convey, integrating this information and deciding on a behavioral action. How the neural integration of sensory information affects behavioral decisions and where in the brain this process takes place are still open questions. We hypothesized that the anterolateral secondary visual cortex (area AL) could serve as a hub in the mouse brain during sensorimotor transformation of audiovisual information because it projects strongly to motor areas and receives input from both primary visual (V1) and auditory (A1) cortex. We imaged neuronal activity in V1 and AL of the mouse during a detection task using visual, auditory and audiovisual stimuli. During detection of visual stimuli, neurons in AL responded more strongly to visual stimuli which were presented with a contrast around the detection threshold of the mouse as compared with V1 neurons. At the level of the population, neurometric detection thresholds were lower in AL compared to V1 and showed a close approximation of behavioral thresholds for detecting visual stimuli. Distinctively during audiovisual stimulation, AL neurons showed stronger differentiation of behaviorally reported versus unreported stimuli compared to V1. This suggests that neural population activity in area AL more closely correlates with multisensory detection behavior than V1. Taken together, these results indicate that AL amplifies sensory signals and shows a neural correlate of determining whether multisensory stimuli will ultimately result in a behavioral report of stimulus detection.

Keywords: multisensory integration, population coding, behavior, higher-order sensory cortex, calcium imaging

Suggested Citation

Meijer, Guido and Marchesi, Pietro and Mejias, Jorge and Montijn, Jorrit and Lansink, Carien and Pennartz, Cyriel, Higher-Order Visual Cortex Shows Stronger Neural Correlates of Visual and Multisensory Detection Behavior Compared to Primary Visual Cortex (July 4, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3414701 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3414701
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Guido Meijer

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences ( email )

Netherlands

Pietro Marchesi

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences ( email )

Netherlands

Jorge Mejias

University of Amsterdam

Spui 21
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

Jorrit Montijn

University of Amsterdam

Spui 21
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

Carien Lansink

University of Amsterdam

Spui 21
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

Cyriel Pennartz (Contact Author)

University of Amsterdam - Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences ( email )

Netherlands

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