Our findings shed new light on how the brain controls responsiveness to sensory stimuli, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of attention, impulse control, and even sleep disorders.
We recorded the activity of neurons in the claustrum of mice during an attention-demanding task. We discovered that increased activity in these neurons reduces both sensory responsiveness and impulsivity. When we performed similar experiments during mouse sleep, we also identified a role for claustrum neurons in supporting uninterrupted sleep. Conversely, we found that lower activity of claustrum neurons was linked to hyper-engagement and impulsive errors. In fact, by enhancing the activity of these neurons, we could reduce both impulsive errors when , as well as the probability that the mice would awaken in response to sensory stimulation.
These results highlight the claustrum’s regulatory function during different arousal states. Based on our work, new diagnostic tools and possible treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders involving impairments in impulse control may be developed.
Mouse and brain slice: Description of experimental setup. Viruses were used in order to allow the recording and manipulation of activity from the neurons in the claustrum that send information to frontal cortex. EEG, EMG and video recordings were used to monitor the behavioral state of mice.
