Journal Article

DZNE-2021-00487

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Single cell plasticity and population coding stability in auditory thalamus upon associative learning

Taylor, J.Extern* ; Hasegawa, M.Extern* ; Benoit, C. M.Extern* ; Freire, J. A. ; Theodore, M. ; Ganea, D. A. ; Innocenti, S. M. ; Lu, T. ; Gründemann, J. (Last author)DZNE*

2021
Nature Publishing Group UK [London]

This record in other databases:      

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22421-8

Abstract: Cortical and limbic brain areas are regarded as centres for learning. However, how thalamic sensory relays participate in plasticity upon associative learning, yet support stable long-term sensory coding remains unknown. Using a miniature microscope imaging approach, we monitor the activity of populations of auditory thalamus (medial geniculate body) neurons in freely moving mice upon fear conditioning. We find that single cells exhibit mixed selectivity and heterogeneous plasticity patterns to auditory and aversive stimuli upon learning, which is conserved in amygdala-projecting medial geniculate body neurons. Activity in auditory thalamus to amygdala-projecting neurons stabilizes single cell plasticity in the total medial geniculate body population and is necessary for fear memory consolidation. In contrast to individual cells, population level encoding of auditory stimuli remained stable across days. Our data identifies auditory thalamus as a site for complex neuronal plasticity in fear learning upstream of the amygdala that is in an ideal position to drive plasticity in cortical and limbic brain areas. These findings suggest that medial geniculate body’s role goes beyond a sole relay function by balancing experience-dependent, diverse single cell plasticity with consistent ensemble level representations of the sensory environment to support stable auditory perception with minimal affective bias.

Keyword(s): Acoustic Stimulation (MeSH) ; Amygdala: cytology (MeSH) ; Amygdala: physiology (MeSH) ; Animals (MeSH) ; Auditory Pathways: physiology (MeSH) ; Auditory Perception: physiology (MeSH) ; Cell Plasticity: physiology (MeSH) ; Conditioning, Classical: physiology (MeSH) ; Fear: physiology (MeSH) ; Geniculate Bodies: cytology (MeSH) ; Geniculate Bodies: physiology (MeSH) ; Learning: physiology (MeSH) ; Mice, Inbred C57BL (MeSH) ; Neuronal Plasticity: physiology (MeSH) ; Neurons: physiology (MeSH) ; Thalamus: cytology (MeSH) ; Thalamus: physiology (MeSH)

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Neural Circuit Computations (AG Gründemann)

Research Program(s):

1. 351 - Brain Function (POF4-351) (POF4-351)

Appears in the scientific report 2021

---

Database coverage:
; ; ; ; Article Processing Charges ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Current Contents - Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences ; DOAJ Seal ; Essential Science Indicators ; Fees ; IF >= 15 ; JCR ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection ; Zoological Record

---