title: Motor Learning Consolidates Arc-Expressing Neuronal Ensembles in Secondary Motor Cortex.
abstract: Motor behaviors recruit task-specific neuronal ensembles in motor cortices, which are consolidated over subsequent learning. However, little is known about the molecules that can identify the participating neurons and predict the outcomes of the consolidation process. Using a mouse rotarod-learning task, we showed that lesion or inactivation of the secondary motor (M2) cortex disrupts learning of skilled movements. We tracked the endogenous promoter activity of the neuronal activity-regulated gene Arc in individual M2 neurons during rotarod learning by in vivo two-photon imaging of a knockin reporter. We found that task training initially recruits Arc-promoter-activated neurons and then consolidates them into a specific ensemble exhibiting persistent reactivation of Arc-promoter. The intensity of a neuron's initial Arc-promoter activation predicts its reactivation probability and neurons with weak initial Arc-promoter activation are dismissed from the ensemble during subsequent training. Our findings demonstrate a task-specific Arc-dependent cellular consolidation process in M2 cortex during motor learning.
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University-National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Vania Yu
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Yizhou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Surjeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mastwal
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coon
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: rui.costa@neuro.fchampalimaud.org.
authors.forename: Rui M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: wkuan@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Kuan Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C092069:activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins