Neuronal correlates underlying auditory categorization in mice

Abstract

Categorization of sensory stimuli is a fundamental computation in cognition and is critical for many aspects of learning, perception, and prediction. Auditory categorization has been linked to the neuronal activity in the auditory cortex (AC), however, it remains poorly understood how categorical representations emerge in population neuronal activity with learning. We recently showed that during categorization learning, mice use multiple complementary behavioral strategies (Collina et al., 2025). To understand neural correlates of auditory categorization, we recorded activity from AC of mice implanted with neuropixel electrodes while training them to perform auditory categorization task using two-alternative forced choice task. Approximately 30% of the recorded neurons exhibited category preference. Additionally, population decoding accuracy to categories increased with training. Training increased alignment between neurometric and psychometric thresholds, suggesting that neural activity reflected behavior. Moreover, a subpopulation of neurons was choice-selective, as their firing rate reflected the choice of the mouse across trials. Additionally, we also identified components in the population responses that signaled reward prediction and reward response in AC. Our results show that neuronal activity in the AC during categorization reflects behavioral performance. We are currently analyzing how the neuronal population activity evolves throughout auditory categorization learning.