Right lateralized posterior parietal theta-gamma coupling during sustained attention in mice

Abstract

Sustained attention is supported by circuits in the frontoparietal attention network. In human and primate studies, the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) shows dominance for sustained attention, and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) throughout the frontoparietal network correlates with performance on attention tasks. Here we evaluate oscillatory dynamics of bilateral PPC in mice during the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRTT). Right PPC theta-gamma PAC (TG-PAC) and gamma power were independently elevated to a greater degree than the left PPC during the period prior to a correct response and were significantly correlated with accuracy in both simple and difficult tasks. Greater task difficulty was also associated with greater hemispheric asymmetry in TG-PAC, favoring the right PPC. These findings highlight the engagement of PPC with sustained attention in mice, reflected by increases in TG-PAC and gamma power, with maximal expression in the right hemisphere.