Neuron
Volume 81, Issue 6, 19 March 2014, Pages 1328-1343
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Article
Whole-Brain Activity Maps Reveal Stereotyped, Distributed Networks for Visuomotor Behavior

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Highlights

  • Single-cell resolution whole-brain activity maps are recorded from behaving animals

  • Three-dimensional registration to a reference brain reveals micron-scale stereotypy

  • Activity clustering reveals distinct networks correlated with sensorimotor variables

  • Dynamics are strikingly symmetric, with the notable exception of the habenula

Summary

Most behaviors, even simple innate reflexes, are mediated by circuits of neurons spanning areas throughout the brain. However, in most cases, the distribution and dynamics of firing patterns of these neurons during behavior are not known. We imaged activity, with cellular resolution, throughout the whole brains of zebrafish performing the optokinetic response. We found a sparse, broadly distributed network that has an elaborate but ordered pattern, with a bilaterally symmetrical organization. Activity patterns fell into distinct clusters reflecting sensory and motor processing. By correlating neuronal responses with an array of sensory and motor variables, we find that the network can be clearly divided into distinct functional modules. Comparing aligned data from multiple fish, we find that the spatiotemporal activity dynamics and functional organization are highly stereotyped across individuals. These experiments systematically reveal the functional architecture of neural circuits underlying a sensorimotor behavior in a vertebrate brain.

Cited by (0)

1

Present address: Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany

2

These authors contributed equally to this work