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Brain-wide topographic coordination of rotating waves.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Brain-wide topographic coordination of rotating waves.
Authors:	Ye, Zhiwen (AUTHOR), Ladd, Alexander E. (AUTHOR), MacKenzie, Nancy (AUTHOR), Kolich, Ljuvica (AUTHOR), Li, Anna J. (AUTHOR), Birman, Daniel (AUTHOR), Bull, Matthew S. (AUTHOR), Daigle, Tanya L. (AUTHOR), Tasic, Bosiljka (AUTHOR), Zeng, Hongkui (AUTHOR), Steinmetz, Nicholas A. (AUTHOR)
Source:	Science. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1-20. 20p.
Subjects:	Somatosensory cortex, Traveling waves (Physics), Electrophysiology, Action potentials, Brain imaging
Abstract:	Patterns of brain activity moving in waves occur across brain regions and species, yet their spatial organization, anatomical basis, and brain-wide distribution remain unclear. Using cortex-wide imaging and electrophysiology in awake mice, we revealed a prominent wave motif across spatial scales. Waves frequently formed rotational patterns centered on somatosensory cortex and sweeping across somatotopic maps. Axonal architecture within sensory cortex exhibited a matching circular arrangement. Rotating waves were mirrored between hemispheres and between sensory and motor cortex and were coordinated with subcortical spiking. Bilaterally cutting the circular circuitry diminished rotating waves. Rotating waves were modulated across behavioral states, evoked by sensory inputs, and recruited during correct visuomotor performance. These results establish that rotating waves are sculpted by axonal architecture across diverse brain systems and behavioral contexts. Editor's summary: Waves of brain activity (traveling waves) have been observed in many species. Given their prevalence and magnitude, it has been hypothesized that these waves likely play an important role in the brain. However, their functions remain to be elucidated. Ye et al. used wide-field calcium imaging to study traveling waves in the mouse neocortex. Traveling waves coincided with the recruitment of spiking activity in connected subcortical structures and were well coordinated between the two hemispheres. The arrangement of local axons in the sensory cortex followed the shape of the traveling waves. These results open new avenues of inquiry into the mechanisms underlying traveling waves and their function. —Mattia Maroso INTRODUCTION: Electrical activity in the brain often travels in waves, propagating across networks of neurons in patterns that have been linked to sensory perception, memory, and movement. However, the spatial organization of these waves across the brain, the anatomical circuits that give rise to them, and their brain-wide distribution have remained unclear. Understanding these properties is essential for determining the roles that traveling waves may play in behavior and cognition. RATIONALE: We combined fast, large-scale imaging of neural activity across the mouse cortical surface with high-density electrode recordings in deeper brain structures. This allowed us to track the propagation of traveling waves across the entire cortex while simultaneously measuring the spiking activity of neurons in subcortical regions including the thalamus, striatum, and midbrain. We also examined the axonal architecture of cortical neurons using three-dimensional reconstructions of their axonal projections, tested the causal role of these circuits within the somatosensory cortex, and measured wave occurrence in different brain states and behavioral contexts. RESULTS: We discovered that rotating waves, which propagate along a circular trajectory, were a prominent and frequently occurring feature of cortical activity, predominantly centered on the somatosensory cortex. These waves therefore swept sequentially across the maps of the mouse body surface. The local wiring of neurons in this region displayed a matching circular arrangement, and a computational model confirmed that this architecture supports rotating wave formation. Across the cortex, rotating waves were mirrored between the left and right hemispheres and between sensory and motor areas, reflecting the pattern of long-range connections between these regions. Severing local circuits within the somatosensory cortex reduced rotating waves in the motor cortex, establishing a mechanistic basis. Subcortical neurons in the thalamus, striatum, and midbrain tracked cortical rotating waves on a moment-to-moment basis in their spiking patterns. Rotating waves were modulated by arousal, evoked by sensory stimulation, and selectively recruited during correct performance of a visual-motor task. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal that brain activity is shaped by the physical architecture of neural wiring into coordinated rotating waves that span cortical and subcortical regions. Rather than being confined to isolated brain areas, these waves represent a distributed organizational principle in which the direction and timing of activity propagation are dictated by the geometry of axonal connections. The recruitment of rotating waves during different behavioral contexts suggests that they may serve as a mechanism for coordinating information flow across sensory and motor systems during perception and action. Rotating waves in mouse cortex.: Neural activity forms rotating waves centered on the somatosensory cortex, sweeping across somatotopic maps of the mouse body. These waves are shaped by the circular architecture of axonal connections, mirrored across hemispheres, coordinated with subcortical regions, and recruited in different behavioral contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	Patterns of brain activity moving in waves occur across brain regions and species, yet their spatial organization, anatomical basis, and brain-wide distribution remain unclear. Using cortex-wide imaging and electrophysiology in awake mice, we revealed a prominent wave motif across spatial scales. Waves frequently formed rotational patterns centered on somatosensory cortex and sweeping across somatotopic maps. Axonal architecture within sensory cortex exhibited a matching circular arrangement. Rotating waves were mirrored between hemispheres and between sensory and motor cortex and were coordinated with subcortical spiking. Bilaterally cutting the circular circuitry diminished rotating waves. Rotating waves were modulated across behavioral states, evoked by sensory inputs, and recruited during correct visuomotor performance. These results establish that rotating waves are sculpted by axonal architecture across diverse brain systems and behavioral contexts. Editor's summary: Waves of brain activity (traveling waves) have been observed in many species. Given their prevalence and magnitude, it has been hypothesized that these waves likely play an important role in the brain. However, their functions remain to be elucidated. Ye et al. used wide-field calcium imaging to study traveling waves in the mouse neocortex. Traveling waves coincided with the recruitment of spiking activity in connected subcortical structures and were well coordinated between the two hemispheres. The arrangement of local axons in the sensory cortex followed the shape of the traveling waves. These results open new avenues of inquiry into the mechanisms underlying traveling waves and their function. —Mattia Maroso INTRODUCTION: Electrical activity in the brain often travels in waves, propagating across networks of neurons in patterns that have been linked to sensory perception, memory, and movement. However, the spatial organization of these waves across the brain, the anatomical circuits that give rise to them, and their brain-wide distribution have remained unclear. Understanding these properties is essential for determining the roles that traveling waves may play in behavior and cognition. RATIONALE: We combined fast, large-scale imaging of neural activity across the mouse cortical surface with high-density electrode recordings in deeper brain structures. This allowed us to track the propagation of traveling waves across the entire cortex while simultaneously measuring the spiking activity of neurons in subcortical regions including the thalamus, striatum, and midbrain. We also examined the axonal architecture of cortical neurons using three-dimensional reconstructions of their axonal projections, tested the causal role of these circuits within the somatosensory cortex, and measured wave occurrence in different brain states and behavioral contexts. RESULTS: We discovered that rotating waves, which propagate along a circular trajectory, were a prominent and frequently occurring feature of cortical activity, predominantly centered on the somatosensory cortex. These waves therefore swept sequentially across the maps of the mouse body surface. The local wiring of neurons in this region displayed a matching circular arrangement, and a computational model confirmed that this architecture supports rotating wave formation. Across the cortex, rotating waves were mirrored between the left and right hemispheres and between sensory and motor areas, reflecting the pattern of long-range connections between these regions. Severing local circuits within the somatosensory cortex reduced rotating waves in the motor cortex, establishing a mechanistic basis. Subcortical neurons in the thalamus, striatum, and midbrain tracked cortical rotating waves on a moment-to-moment basis in their spiking patterns. Rotating waves were modulated by arousal, evoked by sensory stimulation, and selectively recruited during correct performance of a visual-motor task. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal that brain activity is shaped by the physical architecture of neural wiring into coordinated rotating waves that span cortical and subcortical regions. Rather than being confined to isolated brain areas, these waves represent a distributed organizational principle in which the direction and timing of activity propagation are dictated by the geometry of axonal connections. The recruitment of rotating waves during different behavioral contexts suggests that they may serve as a mechanism for coordinating information flow across sensory and motor systems during perception and action. Rotating waves in mouse cortex.: Neural activity forms rotating waves centered on the somatosensory cortex, sweeping across somatotopic maps of the mouse body. These waves are shaped by the circular architecture of axonal connections, mirrored across hemispheres, coordinated with subcortical regions, and recruited in different behavioral contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00368075
DOI:	10.1126/science.adx1369