title: Prefrontal Parvalbumin Neurons in Control of Attention.
abstract: While signatures of attention have been extensively studied in sensory systems, the neural sources and computations responsible for top-down control of attention are largely unknown. Using chronic recordings in mice, we found that fast-spiking parvalbumin (FS-PV) interneurons in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) uniformly show increased and sustained firing during goal-driven attentional processing, correlating to the level of attention. Elevated activity of FS-PV neurons on the timescale of seconds predicted successful execution of behavior. Successful allocation of attention was characterized by strong synchronization of FS-PV neurons, increased gamma oscillations, and phase locking of pyramidal firing. Phase-locked pyramidal neurons showed gamma-phase-dependent rate modulation during successful attentional processing. Optogenetic silencing of FS-PV neurons deteriorated attentional processing, while optogenetic synchronization of FS-PV neurons at gamma frequencies had pro-cognitive effects and improved goal-directed behavior. FS-PV neurons thus act as a functional unit coordinating the activity in the local mPFC circuit during goal-driven attentional processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hoseok
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ährlund-Richter
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Xinming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, W080 Clark Center, 318 Campus Drive West, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Bioengineering, W080 Clark Center, 318 Campus Drive West, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, W080 Clark Center, 318 Campus Drive West, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deisseroth
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: marie.carlen@ki.se.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlén
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003071:Cognition; D065818:Gamma Rhythm; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D062308:Optogenetics; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010320:Parvalbumins