Biology subjects

Deverett, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Deverett, B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Enhanced learning and sensory salience in a cerebellar mouse autism model

Perturbation to the cerebellum can lead to deficits in motor function, cognition, and behavioral flexibility. Here we report that a cerebellum-specific transgenic mouse autism model with disrupted Purkinje cell function shows unexpectedly accelerated learning on a sensory evidence-accumulation task, as well as enhanced sensory reactivity to touch and auditory cues. Computational latent-state analysis of behavior revealed that accelerated learning was associated with enhanced focus on current over past trials. In on-task states, a subset of Purkinje cells in crus I produced more complex spikes to sensory stimuli. Learning was accelerated by providing cue-locked optogenetic stimulation of Purkinje cells, but unaffected by continuous optogenetic interference with Purkinje cell activity. Complex spikes fired in response to both correct and incorrect choices, but less so when mice were on-task. Both transgenic mice and mice receiving cue-locked optogenetic stimulation showed prolonged sensory responses in Purkinje-cell complex spikes and anterior cingulate cortex. We suggest that cerebellar activity may shape evidence-accumulation learning by enhancing task focus and neocortical processing of current experience. HighlightsO_LIFaster learning and enhanced sensory salience with cerebellar manipulations in mice C_LIO_LIAccelerated learning arises from prolonged occupancy in an on-task behavioral state C_LIO_LICerebellar manipulations can influence neocortex via altered complex spike activity C_LIO_LICerebellum findings consistent with a weak global coherence account of autism C_LI eTOC blurbIn a cerebellum-based mouse autism model, perturbed function leads to faster learning of a working-memory task, mediated by higher focus on current trials. The effects are emulated by optogenetic perturbation of Purkinje cells, and both perturbations drive enhanced neocortical activity. Results are consistent with a weak coherence model for autism.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Cerebellar disruption impairs working memory during evidence accumulation

To select actions based on sensory evidence, animals must create and manipulate representations of stimulus information in memory. We found that during accumulation of somatosensory evidence, optogenetic manipulation of cerebellar Purkinje cells reduced the accuracy of subsequent memory-guided decisions and caused mice to downweight prior information. Behavioral deficits were consistent with the addition of noise and leak to the evidence accumulation process, suggesting the cerebellum can influence the maintenance of working memory contents.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

A cerebellar role in evidence-guided decision-making

To make successful evidence-based decisions, the brain must rapidly and accurately transform sensory inputs into specific goal-directed behaviors. Most experimental work on this subject has focused on forebrain mechanisms. Here we show that during perceptual decision-making over a period of seconds, decision-, sensory-, and error-related information converge on the lateral posterior cerebellum in crus I, a structure that communicates bidirectionally with numerous forebrain regions. We trained mice on a novel evidence-accumulation task and demonstrated that cerebellar inactivation reduces behavioral accuracy without impairing motor parameters of action. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we found that Purkinje cell somatic activity encoded choice- and evidence-related variables. Decision errors were represented by dendritic calcium spikes, which are known to drive plasticity. We propose that cerebellar circuitry may contribute to the set of distributed computations in the brain that support accurate perceptual decision-making.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2017

An accumulation-of-evidence task using visual pulses for mice navigating in virtual reality

The gradual accumulation of sensory evidence is a crucial component of perceptual decision making, but its neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. Given the wide availability of genetic and optical tools for mice, they can be useful model organisms for the study of these phenomena; however, behavioral tools are largely lacking. Here, we describe a new evidence-accumulation task for head-fixed mice navigating in a virtual reality environment. As they navigate down the stem of a virtual T-maze, they see brief pulses of visual evidence on either side, and retrieve a reward on the arm with the highest number of pulses. The pulses occur randomly with Poisson statistics, yielding a diverse yet well-controlled stimulus set, making the data conducive to a variety of computational approaches. A large number of mice of different genotypes were able to learn and consistently perform the task, at levels similar to rats in analogous tasks. They are sensitive to side differences of a single pulse, and their memory of the cues is stable over time. Moreover, using non-parametric as well as modeling approaches, we show that the mice indeed accumulate evidence: they use multiple pulses of evidence from throughout the cue region of the maze to make their decision, albeit with a small overweighting of earlier cues, and their performance is affected by the magnitude but not the duration of evidence. Additionally, analysis of the mice's running patterns revealed that trajectories are fairly stereotyped yet modulated by the amount of sensory evidence, suggesting that the navigational component of this task may provide a continuous readout correlated to the underlying cognitive variables. Our task, which can be readily integrated with state-of-the-art techniques, is thus a valuable tool to study the circuit mechanisms and dynamics underlying perceptual decision making, particularly under more complex behavioral contexts.

neuroscience↗