Neural networks of the mouse visceromotor cortex

The medial prefrontal cortex (MPF) regulates autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to stress<sup>1,2</sup> and coordinates goal-directed behaviours such as attention, decision-making and social interactions<sup>3-8</sup>. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear due to incomplete circuit-level MPF characterization<sup>7</sup>. Here, using integrated neuroanatomical, physiological and behavioural approaches, we construct a comprehensive wiring diagram of the MPF, focused on the dorsal peduncular area (DP)-a poorly understood prefrontal area. We identify its deep (DPd) and superficial (DPs) layers, along with the infralimbic area, as major components of the visceromotor cortex that directly project to hypothalamic and brainstem structures to govern neuroendocrine, sympathetic and parasympathetic output. Notably, the DP functions as a network hub integrating diverse cortical inputs and modulating goal-directed behaviour through a largely unidirectional cortical information flow. On the basis of the mesoscale MPF connectome, we propose a unified network model in which distinct MPF areas orchestrate physiological and behavioural responses to internal and external stimuli.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature
Published
2025-08-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09360-w
Citations
8
Primary Topic
Neural dynamics and brain function
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
11.45
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article

Neural networks of the mouse visceromotor cortex

Peyman Golshani, Mitchell Rudd, D.C.W. Lo, Joshua Barry et al.
8 citations
Nature
Neural dynamics and brain function
11.45
article

Neural networks of the mouse visceromotor cortex

Peyman Golshani, Mitchell Rudd, D.C.W. Lo, Joshua Barry, Qiuying Zhao, Lin Gou, Brian Zingg, Jiandong Sun, Mingmin Zhang, Paul E. Micevych, Aishwarya Dev, Tyler Boesen, Carlos Cepeda, Luis Garcia, Michael S. Levine, Weizhe Hong, X. William Yang, Hong‐Wei Dong, Guisong Yang, Li I. Zhang, Chunru Cao, Muye Zhu, Keivan Moradi, Hyun-Seung Mun, Jinxing Wei, Ian Bowman, A. Gutierrez, Yongfeng Han, Angela Wong, Nicholas N. Foster, Sumit Nanda, Chang Sin Park, Houri Hintiryan, Seita Yamashita, Hanpeng Xu, Pingping Zhao, Samara Miller, Jennifer Gonzalez, César A. Estrada
article en
8 citations

Abstract

The medial prefrontal cortex (MPF) regulates autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to stress<sup>1,2</sup> and coordinates goal-directed behaviours such as attention, decision-making and social interactions<sup>3-8</sup>. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear due to incomplete circuit-level MPF characterization<sup>7</sup>. Here, using integrated neuroanatomical, physiological and behavioural approaches, we construct a comprehensive wiring diagram of the MPF, focused on the dorsal peduncular area (DP)-a poorly understood prefrontal area. We identify its deep (DPd) and superficial (DPs) layers, along with the infralimbic area, as major components of the visceromotor cortex that directly project to hypothalamic and brainstem structures to govern neuroendocrine, sympathetic and parasympathetic output. Notably, the DP functions as a network hub integrating diverse cortical inputs and modulating goal-directed behaviour through a largely unidirectional cortical information flow. On the basis of the mesoscale MPF connectome, we propose a unified network model in which distinct MPF areas orchestrate physiological and behavioural responses to internal and external stimuli.

Nature
University of Southern California (US), Google (United States) (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Neurobehavioral Systems (US), VA West Los Angeles Medical Center (US)
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Neural dynamics and brain function
11.45
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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