Directed information exchange between cortical layers in macaque V1 and V4 and its modulation by selective attention

TY - JOUR

T1 - Directed information exchange between cortical layers in macaque V1 and V4 and its modulation by selective attention

AU - Ferro, Demetrio

AU - van Kempen, Jochem

AU - Boyd, Michael

AU - Panzeri, Stefano

AU - Thiele, Alexander

N1 - Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

PY - 2021/3/23

Y1 - 2021/3/23

N2 - Achieving behavioral goals requires integration of sensory and cognitive information across cortical laminae and cortical regions. How this computation is performed remains unknown. Using local field potential recordings and spectrally resolved conditional Granger causality (cGC) analysis, we mapped visual information flow, and its attentional modulation, between cortical layers within and between macaque brain areas V1 and V4. Stimulus-induced interlaminar information flow within V1 dominated upwardly, channeling information toward supragranular corticocortical output layers. Within V4, information flow dominated from granular to supragranular layers, but interactions between supragranular and infragranular layers dominated downwardly. Low-frequency across-area communication was stronger from V4 to V1, with little layer specificity. Gamma-band communication was stronger in the feedforward V1-to-V4 direction. Attention to the receptive field of V1 decreased communication between all V1 layers, except for granular-to-supragranular layer interactions. Communication within V4, and from V1 to V4, increased with attention across all frequencies. While communication from V4 to V1 was stronger in lower-frequency bands (4 to 25 Hz), attention modulated cGCs from V4 to V1 across all investigated frequencies. Our data show that top-down cognitive processes result in reduced communication within cortical areas, increased feedforward communication across all frequency bands, and increased gamma-band feedback communication.

AB - Achieving behavioral goals requires integration of sensory and cognitive information across cortical laminae and cortical regions. How this computation is performed remains unknown. Using local field potential recordings and spectrally resolved conditional Granger causality (cGC) analysis, we mapped visual information flow, and its attentional modulation, between cortical layers within and between macaque brain areas V1 and V4. Stimulus-induced interlaminar information flow within V1 dominated upwardly, channeling information toward supragranular corticocortical output layers. Within V4, information flow dominated from granular to supragranular layers, but interactions between supragranular and infragranular layers dominated downwardly. Low-frequency across-area communication was stronger from V4 to V1, with little layer specificity. Gamma-band communication was stronger in the feedforward V1-to-V4 direction. Attention to the receptive field of V1 decreased communication between all V1 layers, except for granular-to-supragranular layer interactions. Communication within V4, and from V1 to V4, increased with attention across all frequencies. While communication from V4 to V1 was stronger in lower-frequency bands (4 to 25 Hz), attention modulated cGCs from V4 to V1 across all investigated frequencies. Our data show that top-down cognitive processes result in reduced communication within cortical areas, increased feedforward communication across all frequency bands, and increased gamma-band feedback communication.

KW - Animals

KW - Attention

KW - Evoked Potentials, Visual

KW - Macaca mulatta

KW - Photic Stimulation

KW - Visual Cortex/physiology

KW - Visual Pathways

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2022097118

DO - 10.1073/pnas.2022097118

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 33723059

VL - 118

JO - P NATL ACAD SCI USA

JF - P NATL ACAD SCI USA

SN - 0027-8424

IS - 12

ER -