Pupil diameter is not an accurate real-time readout of locus coeruleus activity.

ABSTRACT: Pupil diameter is often treated as a noninvasive readout of activity in the locus coeruleus (LC). However, how accurately it can be used to index LC activity is not known. To address this question, we established a graded relationship between pupil size changes and LC spiking activity in mice, where pupil dilation increased monotonically with the number of LC spikes. However, this relationship exists with substantial variability such that pupil diameter can only be used to accurately predict a small fraction of LC activity on a moment-by-moment basis. In addition, pupil exhibited large session-to-session fluctuations in response to identical optical stimulation in the LC. The variations in the pupil-LC relationship were strongly correlated with decision bias-related behavioral variables. T

SUBMITTER: Megemont M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8809893 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature