Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

11-1-2024

Journal

Nature Neuroscience

DOI

10.1038/s41593-024-01767-4

PMID

39284963

PMCID

PMC11932732

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

5-1-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Perception can be refined by experience, up to certain limits. It is unclear whether perceptual limits are absolute or could be partially overcome via enhanced neuromodulation and/or plasticity. Recent studies suggest that peripheral nerve stimulation, specifically vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), can alter neural activity and augment experience-dependent plasticity, although little is known about central mechanisms recruited by VNS. Here we developed an auditory discrimination task for mice implanted with a VNS electrode. VNS applied during behavior gradually improved discrimination abilities beyond the level achieved by training alone. Two-photon imaging revealed VNS induced changes to auditory cortical responses and activated cortically projecting cholinergic axons. Anatomical and optogenetic experiments indicated that VNS can enhance task performance through activation of the central cholinergic system. These results highlight the importance of cholinergic modulation for the efficacy of VNS and may contribute to further refinement of VNS methodology for clinical conditions.

Keywords

Animals, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Mice, Male, Cholinergic Neurons, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Auditory Cortex, Learning, Optogenetics, Auditory Perception, Vagus Nerve, Acoustic Stimulation, Female, Mice, Transgenic

Published Open-Access

yes

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