Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Sensory-Driven Traveling Waves

Abstract -  Traveling waves are a ubiquitous feature of neuronal activity. Both evoked 
and spontaneous traveling waves across the spatiotemporal spectrum have been 
implicated in a wide range of cognitive functions, including sensory processing, motor 
control, and working memory. As these waves propagate across a cortical region, they 
coordinate local activity by influencing cellular excitability patterns via precise phase 
delays. Thus, understanding the circuit mechanisms underlying traveling waves is 
essential to our understanding of how neural computations maintain millisecond timing. 
Here, I will discuss ongoing work using microfabricated NeuroGrids combined with 
simultaneous multiphoton imaging to map traveling wave dynamics and their underlying 
circuit components. In mouse barrel cortex, we found that sensory input elicits distinct 
feedforward and feedback traveling waves that can be modulated by reward 
reinforcement. In particular, we link the feedback wave to two layer-specific circuit 
motifs: enhanced L2/3 network sparsity and sharpened L5 calcium in the apical 
dendrites. These results provide compelling evidence that traveling waves influence 
sensory perception by sculpting local microcircuit activity and cortical outputs. 

Daniel Gonzales, Purdue University

Hosted by - Monique Mendes

About the BELONG Seminar Series

The BELONG seminar series features scientific talks from exceptional postdocs in the neurosciences who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and/or Person of Color. Sponsored by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Committee for Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Equity and Justice (DIBEJ).

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