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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.11.06.622308

A Prefrontal Cortex Map based on Single Neuron Activity

Le Merre, P.·Heining, K.·Slashcheva, M.·Jung, F.·Moysiadou, E.·Guyon, N.·Yahya, R.·Park, H.·Wernstal, F.·Carlen, M.
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Abstract

The intrinsic organization underlying the central cognitive role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is poorly understood. The work to date has been dominated by cytoarchitecture as a canvas for studies on the PFC, constraining concepts, analyses, results, and their interpretations to pre-configured delimitations that might not be relevant to function. We approached organization by profiling the activity and spatial location of >23,000 neurons recorded in awake mice. Regularly firing neurons were over-represented in most PFC subregions, yet a fine-grained activity map of the PFC did not align with cytoarchitecturally defined subregions. Instead, we observed a robust relationship between spontaneous activity patterns and intra-PFC hierarchy, suggesting internal organization principles transcending cytoarchitecture. Single neuron responses to sounds did not reflect intra-PFC hierarchy but were linked to spontaneous firing rate, indicating that responsiveness increases with excitability and is decoupled from the PFCs intrinsic operational structure. Our data-driven approach provides a scalable roadmap to explore functional organizations in diverse brain regions and species, opening avenues to link activity, structure, and function in the brain.

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Le Merre, P., Heining, K., Slashcheva, M., Jung, F., Moysiadou, E., Guyon, N., Yahya, R., Park, H., Wernstal, F., Carlen, M.. 2024-11-07. A Prefrontal Cortex Map based on Single Neuron Activity. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.06.622308

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