Control of Prestimulus Activity Related to Improved Sensory Coding within a Discrimination Task

Network state influences the processing of incoming stimuli. It is reasonable to expect, therefore, that animals might adjust cortical activity to improve sensory coding of behaviorally relevant stimuli. We tested this hypothesis, recording single-neuron activity from gustatory cortex (GC) in rats engaged in a two-alternative forced-choice taste discrimination task, and assaying the responses of these same neurons when the rats received the stimuli passively. We found that the task context affected the GC network state (reducing beta- and gamma-band field potential activity) and changed prestimulus and taste-induced single-neuron activity: before the stimulus, the activity of already low-firing neurons was further reduced, a change that was followed by comparable reductions of taste responses themselves. These changes served to sharpen taste selectivity, mainly by reducing responses to suboptimal stimuli. This sharpening of taste selectivity was specifically attributable to neurons with decreased prestimulus activities. Our results suggest the importance of prestimulus activity control for improving sensory coding within the task context.