title: Vibrissa motor cortex activity suppresses contralateral whisking behavior.
abstract: Anatomical, stimulation and lesion data implicate vibrissa motor cortex in whisker motor control. Work on motor cortex has focused on movement generation, but correlations between vibrissa motor cortex activity and whisking are weak. The exact role of vibrissa motor cortex remains unknown. We recorded vibrissa motor cortex neurons during various forms of vibrissal touch, which were invariably associated with whisker protraction and movement. Free whisking, object palpation and social touch all resulted in decreased cortical activity. To understand this activity decrease, we performed juxtacellular recordings, nanostimulation and in vivo whole-cell recordings. Social touch resulted in decreased spiking activity, decreased cell excitability and membrane hyperpolarization. Activation of vibrissa motor cortex by intracortical microstimulation elicited whisker retraction, as if to abort vibrissal touch. Various vibrissa motor cortex inactivation protocols resulted in contralateral protraction and increased whisker movements. These data collectively point to movement suppression as a prime function of vibrissa motor cortex activity.
authors: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Christian Laut
authors: 0000-0002-3492-9841
authors: CL
authors: Ebbesen
authors: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Doron
authors: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Constanze
authors: C
authors: Lenschow
authors: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Brecht
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology*