Large- and multi-scale networks in the rodent brain during novelty exploration

Abstract

Neural activity is coordinated across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and these patterns of coordination are implicated in both healthy and impaired cognitive operations. However, empirical cross-scale investigations are relatively infrequent, due to limited data availability and to the difficulty of analyzing rich multivariate datasets. Here we applied frequency-resolved multivariate source-separation analyses to characterize a large-scale dataset comprising spiking and local field potential activity recorded simultaneously in three brain regions (prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, hippocampus) in freely-moving mice. We identified a constellation of multidimensional, inter-regional networks across a range of frequencies (2-200 Hz). These networks were reproducible within animals across different recording sessions, but varied across different animals, suggesting individual variability in network architecture. The theta band (∼4-10 Hz) networks had several prominent features, including roughly equal contribution from all regions and strong inter-network synchronization. Overall, these findings demonstrate a multidimensional landscape of large-scale functional activations of cortical networks operating across multiple spatial, spectral, and temporal scales during open-field exploration.

Significance statement

Neural activity is synchronized over space, time, and frequency. To characterize the dynamics of large-scale networks spanning multiple brain regions, we recorded data from the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and hippocampus in awake behaving mice, and pooled data from spiking activity and local field potentials into one data matrix. Frequency-specific multivariate decomposition methods revealed a cornucopia of neural networks defined by coherent spatiotemporal patterns over time. These findings reveal a rich, dynamic, and multivariate landscape of large-scale neural activity patterns during foraging behavior.