Anticipatory activity of motor cortex in relation to rhythmic whisking

Rats characteristically generate stereotyped exploratory (5-12 Hz) whisker movements, which can also be adaptively modulated. Here we tested the hypothesis that the vibrissal representation in motor cortex (vMCx) initiates and modulates whisking by acting on a subcortical whisking central pattern generator (CPG). We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) in vMCx of behaving Sprague-Dawley rats while monitoring whisking behavior through mystacial electromyograms (EMGs). Recordings were made during free exploration, under body restraint, or in a head-fixed animal. LFP activity increased significantly prior to the onset of a whisking epoch and ended prior to the epoch's termination. In addition, shifts in whisking kinematics within a whisk epoch were often reflected in changes in LFP activity. These data support the hypothesis that vMCx may initiate and modulate whisking behavior through its action on a subcortical CPG.