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Dr. Adam Hantman

RSS Dr. Adam Hantman PubMed Publications

  • Evolutionary expansion of the corticospinal system is linked to dexterity in <em>Peromyscus</em> mice
    Animals have evolved behavioral variation to adapt to distinct environmental features. The expansion of neuron number is a potential neural mechanism underlying this behavioral adaptation. Corticospinal neurons (CSNs) are a classic example: an expansion in the corticospinal system in the primate lineage has been hypothesized to underlie their exceptional dexterity. However, the role of CSN […]
    Kelsey M Tyssowski
  • Selective coupling and decoupling coordinate distributed brain networks for precise action
    The mammalian brain is fundamentally interconnected. Across species, a single neuron typically forms thousands of synapses spanning local and long-range connections. This architecture suggests that brain function is distributed, but it remains poorly understood how relevant networks are selectively engaged to produce appropriate behaviors. To address this, we recorded >40,000 neurons, simultaneously monitoring five cerebellar […]
    Stefan M Lemke
  • SORDINO for Silent, Sensitive, Specific, and Artifact-Resisting fMRI in awake behaving mice
    Blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revolutionized our understanding of the brain activity landscape, bridging circuit neuroscience in animal models with noninvasive brain mapping in humans. This immensely utilized technique, however, faces challenges such as acoustic noise, electromagnetic interference, motion artifacts, magnetic-field inhomogeneity, and limitations in sensitivity and specificity. Here, we introduce Steady-state […]
    Martin J MacKinnon
  • Neural circuit basis of placebo pain relief
    Placebo effects are notable demonstrations of mind-body interactions^(1,2). During pain perception, in the absence of any treatment, an expectation of pain relief can reduce the experience of pain-a phenomenon known as placebo analgesia^(3-6). However, despite the strength of placebo effects and their impact on everyday human experience and the failure of clinical trials for new […]
    Chong Chen
  • Specific connectivity optimizes learning in thalamocortical loops
    Thalamocortical loops have a central role in cognition and motor control, but precisely how they contribute to these processes is unclear. Recent studies showing evidence of plasticity in thalamocortical synapses indicate a role for the thalamus in shaping cortical dynamics through learning. Since signals undergo a compression from the cortex to the thalamus, we hypothesized […]
    Kaushik J Lakshminarasimhan
  • Motor cortical output for skilled forelimb movement is selectively distributed across projection neuron classes
    The interaction of descending neocortical outputs and subcortical premotor circuits is critical for shaping skilled movements. Two broad classes of motor cortical output projection neurons provide input to many subcortical motor areas: pyramidal tract (PT) neurons, which project throughout the neuraxis, and intratelencephalic (IT) neurons, which project within the cortex and subcortical striatum. It is […]
    Junchol Park
  • Disrupting cortico-cerebellar communication impairs dexterity
    To control reaching, the nervous system must generate large changes in muscle activation to drive the limb toward the target, and must also make smaller adjustments for precise and accurate behavior. Motor cortex controls the arm through projections to diverse targets across the central nervous system, but it has been challenging to identify the roles […]
    Jian-Zhong Guo
  • A cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway drives behavioral context-dependent movement initiation
    Executing learned motor behaviors often requires the transformation of sensory cues into patterns of motor commands that generate appropriately timed actions. The cerebellum and thalamus are two key areas involved in shaping cortical output and movement, but the contribution of a cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway to voluntary movement initiation remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how an […]
    Joshua Dacre
  • Neuropixels 2.0: A miniaturized high-density probe for stable, long-term brain recordings
    Measuring the dynamics of neural processing across time scales requires following the spiking of thousands of individual neurons over milliseconds and months. To address this need, we introduce the Neuropixels 2.0 probe together with newly designed analysis algorithms. The probe has more than 5000 sites and is miniaturized to facilitate chronic implants in small mammals […]
    Nicholas A Steinmetz
  • Parvalbumin<sup>+</sup> and Npas1<sup>+</sup> Pallidal Neurons Have Distinct Circuit Topology and Function
    The external globus pallidus (GPe) is a critical node within the basal ganglia circuit. Phasic changes in the activity of GPe neurons during movement and their alterations in Parkinson's disease (PD) argue that the GPe is important in motor control. Parvalbumin-positive (PV^(+)) neurons and Npas1^(+) neurons are the two principal neuron classes in the GPe. […]
    Arin Pamukcu