“Spatial Context Non-Uniformly Modulates Inter-Laminar Information Flow in the Primary Visual Cortex”, 2024-10-22 (; similar):
Inter-laminar information flow in V1 occurs along communication subspaces.
The structure of the inter-laminar subspace is preserved across spatial locations of visual context.
Visual context degrades the efficacy of information flow in a location-dependent manner.
The degradation is driven by a novel signal targeting the output layers.
[data; press release] Our visual experience is a result of the concerted activity of neuronal ensembles in the sensory hierarchy. Yet, how the spatial organization of objects influences this activity remains poorly understood. We investigate how inter-laminar information flow within the primary visual cortex (V1) is affected by visual stimuli in isolation or with flankers at spatial configurations that are known to cause non-uniform degradation of perception.
By employing dimensionality reduction approaches to simultaneous, layer-specific population recordings, we establish that information propagation between cortical layers occurs along a structurally stable communication subspace.
The spatial configuration of contextual stimuli differentially modulates inter-laminar communication efficacy, the balance of feedforward and effective feedback signaling, and contextual signaling in the superficial layers. Remarkably, these modulations mirror the spatially non-uniform aspects of perceptual degradation.
Our results suggest a model of retinotopically non-uniform cortical connectivity in the output layers of V1 that influences information flow in the sensory hierarchy.
[Keywords: electrophysiology, vision, communication subspace, laminar network, contextual integration, retinotopy, feedforward, feedback, visual cortex]