Claudi, F. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2020

Brainrender. A python based software for visualisation of neuroanatomical and morphological data.

The recent development of high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) digital brain atlases and high-throughput brain wide imaging techniques has fueled the generation of large datasets that can be registered to a common reference frame. This registration facilitates integrating data from different sources and resolutions to assemble rich multidimensional datasets. Generating insights from these new types of datasets depends critically on the ability to easily visualize and explore the data in an interactive manner. This is, however, a challenging task. Currently available software is dedicated to single atlases, model species or data types, and generating 3D renderings that merge anatomically registered data from diverse sources requires extensive development and programming skills. To address this challenge, we have developed brainrender: a generic, open-source Python package for simultaneous and interactive visualization of multidimensional datasets registered to brain atlases. Brainrender has been designed to facilitate the creation of complex custom renderings and can be used programmatically or through a graphical user interface. It can easily render different data types in the same visualization, including user-generated data, and enables seamless use of different brain atlases using the same code base. In addition, brainrender generates high-quality visualizations that can be used interactively and exported as high-resolution figures and animated videos. By facilitating the visualization of anatomically registered data, brainrender should accelerate the analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of brain-wide multidimensional data.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Cerebellar-recipient motor thalamus drives behavioral context-specific movement initiation

To initiate goal-directed behavior, animals must transform sensory cues into motor commands that generate appropriately timed actions. Sensorimotor transformations along the cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway are thought to shape motor cortical output and movement timing, but whether this pathway initiates goal-directed movement remains poorly understood. Here, we recorded and perturbed activity in cerebellar-recipient regions of motor thalamus (dentate / interpositus nucleus-recipient regions, MThDN/IPN) and primary motor cortex (M1) in mice trained to execute a cued forelimb lever push task for reward. MThDN/IPN population responses were dominated by a time-locked increase in activity immediately prior to movement that was temporally uncoupled from cue presentation, providing a fixed latency feedforward motor timing signal to M1FL. Blocking MThDN/IPN output suppressed cued movement initiation. Stimulating the MThDN/IPN thalamocortical pathway in the absence of the cue recapitulated cue-evoked M1 membrane potential dynamics and forelimb behavior in the learned behavioral context, but generated semi-random movements in an altered behavioral context. Thus, cerebellar-recipient motor thalamocortical input to M1 is indispensable for the generation of motor commands that initiate goal-directed movement, refining our understanding of how the cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway contributes to movement timing.

neuroscience↗