A Sensorimotor Circuit in Mouse Cortex for Visual Flow Predictions

The cortex is organized as a hierarchical processing structure. Feedback from higher levels of the hierarchy, known as top-down signals, have been shown to be involved in attentional and contextual modulation of sensory responses. Here we argue that top-down input to the primary visual cortex (V1) from A24b and the adjacent secondary motor cortex (M2) signals a prediction of visual flow based on motor output. A24b/M2 sends a dense and topographically organized projection to V1 that targets most neurons in layer 2/3. By imaging the activity of A24b/M2 axons in V1 of mice learning to navigate a 2D virtual environment, we found that their activity was strongly correlated with locomotion and resulting visual flow feedback in an experience-dependent manner. When mice were trained to navigate a left-right inverted virtual environment, correlations of neural activity with behavior reversed to match visual flow. These findings are consistent with a predictive coding interpretation of visual processing. •Mouse A24b/M2 sends a dense topographically organized input to V1•Motor-related signals from A24b/M2 drive motor and mismatch signals in V1•Training to navigate a left-right inverted world reverses A24b/M2 visuomotor coding•Stimulation of A24b/M2 axons in V1 in navigating mice elicits turning behavior Top-down input to visual cortex from prefrontal areas is involved in attentional and contextual modulation of sensory responses. Leinweber et al. argue that, in the mouse, top-down input to V1 from A24b/M2 carries a prediction of visual flow given movement.