Shiramatsu Tomoyo Isoguchi, Ibayashi Kenji, Kawai Kensuke, Takahashi Hirokazu
Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
Front Neural Circuits. 2025 Jul 23;19:1569158. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2025.1569158. eCollection 2025.
Understanding how vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) modulates cortical information processing is essential to developing sustainable, adaptive artificial intelligence inspired by biological systems. This study presents the first evidence that VNS alters the representation of auditory information in a manner that is both layer- and frequency band-specific within the rat auditory cortex. Using a microelectrode array, we meticulously mapped the band-specific power and phase-locking value of sustained activities in layers 2/3, 4, and 5/6, of the rat auditory cortex. We used sparse logistic regression to decode the test frequency from these neural characteristics and compared the decoding accuracy before and after applying VNS. Our results showed that VNS impairs high-gamma band representation in deeper layers (layers 5/6), enhances theta band representation in those layers, and slightly improves high-gamma representation in superficial layers (layers 2/3 and 4), demonstrating the layer-specific and frequency band-specific effect of VNS. These findings suggest that VNS modulates the balance between feed-forward and feed-back pathways in the auditory cortex, providing novel insights into the mechanisms of neuromodulation and its potential applications in brain-inspired computing and therapeutic interventions.
了解迷走神经刺激（VNS）如何调节皮层信息处理对于开发受生物系统启发的可持续、自适应人工智能至关重要。本研究首次证明，VNS以一种在大鼠听觉皮层内特定于层和频段的方式改变听觉信息的表征。我们使用微电极阵列，精心绘制了大鼠听觉皮层第2/3层、第4层和第5/6层持续活动的频段特异性功率和锁相值。我们使用稀疏逻辑回归从这些神经特征中解码测试频率，并比较了应用VNS前后的解码准确率。我们的结果表明，VNS损害深层（第5/6层）的高伽马频段表征，增强这些层的theta频段表征，并略微改善表层（第2/3层和第4层）的高伽马表征，证明了VNS的层特异性和频段特异性效应。这些发现表明，VNS调节听觉皮层中前馈和反馈通路之间的平衡，为神经调节机制及其在脑启发计算和治疗干预中的潜在应用提供了新的见解。
