Picower Plastic Lunch with Vincent Breton-Provencher, PhD (Sur Lab)

Zoom Link: https://mit.zoom.us/j/95918034497 (MIT Credentials Required)

Title: Spatiotemporal dynamics of locus coeruleus norepinephrine during learned behavior

Abstract: Are neuromodulatory systems of the brain locally or globally regulated? In the case of norepinephrine (NE) originating from the locus coeruleus (LC), recent evidence indicates that LC-NE may exhibit selective targeting to mediate different effects in output regions and on behavior. However, whether this spatial targeting is coincident with functional modularity remains an open question. Here, we study the spatiotemporal dynamics of LC-NE during a learned behavior using a go/no-go auditory detection task. Targeted recordings of LC-NE neurons, using either photo-tagging, two-photon micro-endoscopy or two-photon output monitoring, show transient LC-NE activation preceding behavioral response and following reinforcement. This bi-phasic activity is heterogeneously represented in LC-NE cortical outputs, such that the behavioral response signal is higher in the motor cortex to facilitate task execution, while the negative reinforcement signal is equally distributed among cortical regions to promote serial response bias. Our findings provide the first functional evidence that NE signal is partly segregated amongst its targets, while some LC-NE signals are still broadly distributed.