Volitional modulation of optically recorded calcium signals during neuroprosthetic learning

• DOI: 10.1038/nn.3712
• Publication Date: 2014-04-13T19:47:44Z
• Authors: Kelly B Clancy; Aaron C Koralek; Rui M Costa; Daniel E Feldman; Jose M Carmena
• Keywords: Cerebral Cortex; Male; Volition; Microscopy; Neurology & Neurosurgery; 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning; Neurosciences; Action Potentials; Bioengineering; Inbred C57BL; Fluorescence; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice; Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton; Underpinning research; Brain-Computer Interfaces; Neurological; Psychology; Animals; Learning; Cognitive Sciences; Calcium Signaling; Multiphoton

Brain-machine interfaces are not only promising for neurological applications, but also powerful for investigating neuronal ensemble dynamics during learning. We trained mice to operantly control an auditory cursor using spike-related calcium signals recorded with two-photon imaging in motor and somatosensory cortex. Mice rapidly learned to modulate activity in layer 2/3 neurons, evident both across and within sessions. Learning was accompanied by modifications of firing correlations in spatially localized networks at fine scales.