Anatomically distributed neural representations of instincts in the hypothalamus.

Our Research / Publications

janelia7_blocks-janelia7_biblio_header | block

bioRxiv. 2023 Dec 07;. doi: 10.1101/2023.11.21.568163

View Article on

Anatomically distributed neural representations of instincts in the hypothalamus. Pachitariu Lab

Stagkourakis S, Spigolon G, Marks M, Feyder M, Kim J, Perona P, Pachitariu M, Anderson DJ

janelia7_blocks-janelia7_biblio_abstract | block

Abstract

Artificial activation of anatomically localized, genetically defined hypothalamic neuron populations is known to trigger distinct innate behaviors, suggesting a hypothalamic nucleus-centered organization of behavior control. To assess whether the encoding of behavior is similarly anatomically confined, we performed simultaneous neuron recordings across twenty hypothalamic regions in freely moving animals. Here we show that distinct but anatomically distributed neuron ensembles encode the social and fear behavior classes, primarily through mixed selectivity. While behavior class-encoding ensembles were spatially distributed, individual ensembles exhibited strong localization bias. Encoding models identified that behavior actions, but not motion-related variables, explained a large fraction of hypothalamic neuron activity variance. These results identify unexpected complexity in the hypothalamic encoding of instincts and provide a foundation for understanding the role of distributed neural representations in the expression of behaviors driven by hardwired circuits.

PMID: 38045312 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

node:body | entity_field

bioRxiv Preprint https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.21.568163

Main Menu (Mobile)- Block

Main Menu - Block

Anatomically distributed neural representations of instincts in the hypothalamus.

Abstract

PMID: 38045312 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Janelia Authors