Alpha Modulation of Spiking Activity Across Multiple Brain Regions in Mice Performing a Tactile Selective Detection Task

Many cognitive and sensory processes are characterized by strong relationships between the timing of neuronal spiking and the phase of ongoing local field potential oscillations. The coupling of neuronal spiking in neocortex to the phase of alpha oscillations (8-12 Hz) has been well studied in nonhuman primates but remains largely unexplored in other mammals. How this alpha modulation of spiking differs between brain areas and cell types, as well as its role in sensory processing and decision-making, is not well understood. We used Neuropixels 1.0 probes to chronically record neural activity from somatosensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, striatum and amygdala in mice performing a whisker-based selective detection task. We observed strong spontaneous alpha modulation of single-neuron spiking activity during intertrial intervals while mice performed the task. The prevalence and strength of alpha phase modulation differed significantly across regions and between cell types. Phase modulated neurons exhibited stronger responses to both go and no-go stimuli, as well as stronger motor- and reward-related changes in firing rate, than their unmodulated counterparts. The increased responsiveness of phase modulated neurons suggests they are innervated by more diverse populations. Alpha modulation of neuronal spiking during baseline activity also correlated with task performance. In particular, many neurons exhibited strong alpha modulation before correct trials, but not before incorrect trials. These data suggest that dysregulation of spiking activity with respect to alpha oscillations may characterize lapses in attention.