Neuronal Circuit Dynamics in the Mouse Posterior Parietal Cortex

The posterior parietal cortex
(PPC) has an important role in many cognitive behaviors; however, the neuronal
circuit dynamics underlying PPC function are not well understood. We have
studied circuit activity dynamics in the PPC of mice during navigation-based choice
tasks using a combination of a virtual reality system and two-photon
microscopy. We find that during working memory tasks the PPC activity dynamics
are best characterized as choice-specific sequences of neuronal activation,
rather than long-lived stable states, implemented using anatomically
intermingled microcircuits. I will also discuss on-going work to test if
sequence-based circuit dynamics may underlie computations necessary for
decision-making.