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Cited by 210Neural dynamics and brain functionTactile and Sensory InteractionsVisual perception and processing mechanisms

Sensory and decision-related activity propagate in a cortical feedback loop during touch perception

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Kwon, Sung Eun, Yang, Hongdian, Minamisawa, Genki, O'Connor, Daniel H·2016·Nature Neuroscience
DOI 10.1038/nn.4356PMC PMC5003632
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Abstract

The brain transforms physical sensory stimuli into meaningful perceptions. In animals making choices about sensory stimuli, neuronal activity in successive cortical stages reflects a progression from sensation to decision. Feedforward and feedback pathways connecting cortical areas are critical for this transformation. However, the computational functions of these pathways are poorly understood because pathway-specific activity has rarely been monitored during a perceptual task. Using cellular-resolution, pathway-specific imaging, we measured neuronal activity across primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices of mice performing a tactile detection task. S1 encoded the stimulus better than S2, while S2 activity more strongly reflected perceptual choice. S1 neurons projecting to S2 fed forward activity that predicted choice. Activity encoding touch and choice propagated in an S1-S2 loop along feedforward and feedback axons. Our results suggest that sensory inputs converge into a perceptual outcome as feedforward computations are reinforced in a feedback loop.

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  • wS1 neurons projecting to S2 increase their spike rate and predict choice.

    “In particular, wS1 neurons projecting to S2 were found to increase their spike rate, predicting the choice (20, 22).”

    From Neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in the primary somatosensory cortex (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results section (‘Feedforward propagation of task-related activity’; page unavailable) reports larger responses on Hit than Miss trials in S1 neurons projecting to S2 and a stronger association with perceptual choice. It measured those responses with calcium imaging (ΔF/F0), however, rather than reporting an increase in spike rate. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The primary sensory cortex not only retains relatively weak and sparse choice-related activity but also, in this naturalistic behavioral task, directly participates in categorical coding of an all-or-none decision variable into which the majority of neural populations are recruited.

    “These observations indicate that the primary sensory cortex not only retains relatively weak and sparse choice-related activity, as it was shown previously (10, 11, 19–25), but also, in our naturalistic behavioral task, directly participates in a categorical coding of all-or-none DV into which the majority of neural populations are recruited.”

    From Neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in the primary somatosensory cortex (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Neural activity in subpopulations of layer 2/3 wS1 neurons is correlated with behavioral choice.

    “More recent experiments (22–25) have shown neural activity in subpopulations of layer 2/3 of wS1 neurons is correlated with behavioral choice.”

    From Neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in the primary somatosensory cortex (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

  • Sensory S1 and S2 cortices have strongly lateralized ipsilateral outputs and are densely and reciprocally interconnected, forming a top-down feedback loop that exhibits choice-related activity.

    “In contrast, sensory S1 and S2 cortices have strongly lateralized ipsilateral outputs (43, 59) and are densely and reciprocally interconnected (60) forming a top–down feedback loop that exhibits choice-related activity (10, 11, 22–25).”

    From Neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in the primary somatosensory cortex (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Kwon, S. E., Yang, H., Minamisawa, G., & O'Connor, D. H.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2016-07-20
Volume
19
Issue
9
Pages
1243-1249
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
DOI
10.1038/nn.4356
PMC
PMC5003632
OpenAlex
W2481900801
Cited by
210
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 3
FWCI
13.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Science of Learning Institute, Johns Hopkins University
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS089652, P30NS050274)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
Keywords
tactile perception, somatosensory cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, feedforward pathways, feedback pathways, perceptual decision making, tactile detection, sensory coding
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Animals, Choice Behavior, Female, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Neurons, Somatosensory Cortex, Touch, Models, Animal, Touch Perception

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