FEF inactivation with improved optogenetic methods
Name
Acker-2016-FEF inactivation with improved opto.pdf
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Author(s)
Acker, Leah Christine
Pino, Erica N.
Boyden, Edward
Desimone, Robert
Date Issued
November 2016
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
Acker, Leah, Erica N. Pino, Edward S. Boyden, and Robert Desimone. “FEF Inactivation with Improved Optogenetic Methods.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113, no. 46 (November 2016): E7297–E7306. © 2016 National Academy of Sciences
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Optogenetic methods have been highly effective for suppressing neural activity and modulating behavior in rodents, but effects have been much smaller in primates, which have much larger brains. Here, we present a suite of technologies to use optogenetics effectively in primates and apply these tools to a classic question in oculomotor control. First, we measured light absorption and heat propagation in vivo, optimized the conditions for using the red-light–shifted halorhodopsin Jaws in primates, and developed a large-volume illuminator to maximize light delivery with minimal heating and tissue displacement. Together, these advances allowed for nearly universal neuronal inactivation across more than 10 mm³ of the cortex. Using these tools, we demonstrated large behavioral changes (i.e., up to several fold increases in error rate) with relatively low light power densities (≤100 mW/mm²) in the frontal eye field (FEF). Pharmacological inactivation studies have shown that the FEF is critical for executing saccades to remembered locations. FEF neurons increase their firing rate during the three epochs of the memory-guided saccade task: visual stimulus presentation, the delay interval, and motor preparation. It is unclear from earlier work, however, whether FEF activity during each epoch is necessary for memory-guided saccade execution. By harnessing the temporal specificity of optogenetics, we found that FEF contributes to memory-guided eye movements during every epoch of the memory-guided saccade task (the visual, delay, and motor periods).
MIT Department
Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1610784113
