RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Excitatory and inhibitory subnetworks are equally selective during decision-making and emerge simultaneously during learning
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 354340
DO 10.1101/354340
A1 Farzaneh Najafi
A1 Gamaleldin F Elsayed
A1 Robin Cao
A1 Eftychios Pnevmatikakis
A1 Peter E. Latham
A1 John P Cunningham
A1 Anne K Churchland
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/03/01/354340.abstract
AB Inhibitory neurons, which play a critical role in decision-making models, are often simplified as a single pool of non-selective neurons lacking connection specificity. This assumption is supported by observations in primary visual cortex: inhibitory neurons are broadly tuned in vivo, and show non-specific connectivity in slice. Selectivity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons within decision circuits, and hence the validity of decision-making models, is unknown. We simultaneously measured excitatory and inhibitory neurons in posterior parietal cortex of mice judging multisensory stimuli. Surprisingly, excitatory and inhibitory neurons were equally selective for the animal’s choice, both at the single cell and population level. Further, both cell types exhibited similar changes in selectivity and temporal dynamics during learning, paralleling behavioral improvements. These observations, combined with modeling, argue against circuit architectures assuming non-selective inhibitory neurons. Instead, they argue for selective subnetworks of inhibitory and excitatory neurons that are shaped by experience to support expert decision-making.