Perirhinal input to auditory cortex supports memory-guided sensory perception

AI Summary

Perirhinal cortex axonal input to auditory cortex increases during auditory discrimination learning and correlates with task acquisition.
Chemogenetic silencing of perirhinal input selectively disrupts layer 2/3 pyramidal neuron activity in auditory cortex and impairs performance.
Photoactivation of perirhinal projections biases behaviour toward overgeneralization, indicating PRh input modulates sensory categorization and memory-guided perception.

Sci Adv. 2026 May 22;12(21):eaed4808. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aed4808. Epub 2026 May 22.

ABSTRACT

Through learning and memory, the cortex dynamically forms sensory associations to guide our behavior in an ever-changing environment. How memory-related brain regions, such as the medial-temporal lobe, influence sensory cortex to support this process remains unclear. Here, we used two-photon calcium imaging of axonal projections from the perirhinal (PRh) cortex to the auditory cortex during learning and generalization of an auditory discrimination task. PRh input in the auditory cortex increased during learning and influenced performance in a categorization task. Chemogenetically silencing PRh input selectively disrupted the activity of auditory cortex layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, and PRh photoactivation drove behavior toward overgeneralization. These findings highlight PRh input as a key modulatory pathway that shapes cortical dynamics underlying auditory learning and memory-guided sensory perception.

PMID:42172314 | DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aed4808

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