From Nature · · 50s
Targeted Motor Cortex Stimulation Drives Learned Movements
Stimulating specific brain cells in mice triggers learned movements without prior movement.
In brief
Stimulating specific brain cells in mice triggers learned movements without prior movement. Optogenetic stimulation of motor cortex neurons in mice reproduces learned movements when neurons are activated at the right time. Originally reported by Nature.
Motor Cortex Activity Pattern
Neural activity in layer 2/3 of primary motor cortex shows a reproducible spatiotemporal pattern during learned movements.
Stimulation Induces Learned Movements
Brief synchronous stimulation of about 20 neurons whose activity onset precedes voluntary movement induced movements resembling the learned movement.
Stimulation Predicts Movement Variability
Trial-by-trial variability in optogenetically triggered population activity correlated with variability in induced movements.
Initial State Determines Outcome
Stimulation induced learned activity without movements in some trials, showing learned activity can arise internally without movement.
The one thing
Optogenetic stimulation of motor cortex neurons in mice reproduces learned movements when neurons are activated at the right time.
