{
  "id": 5100885,
  "title": "Mesoscale functional architecture in medial posterior parietal cortex",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/mesoscale-functional-architecture-in-medial-posterior-parietal-cortex",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "eLife",
    "slug": "elife",
    "url": "https://elifesciences.org/articles/105213"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in mice plays various roles, such as multisensory integration, vision-guided behaviors, working memory, and posture control. Despite these functions, the cortical localizations and how they relate to the PPC and higher visual areas (HVAs) have not been fully understood. To address this, researchers simultaneously imaged the activity of thousands of neurons within a 3 x 3 mm 2 area, encompassing eight cortical regions near the PPC, during both a vision-guided task and a choice history-dependent task. This imaging technique, known as two-photon mesoscope, revealed distinct and behavior-related functions of two medial PPC areas. The anteromedial (AM) HVA responded to both vision and choice information, acting as a hub for integrating these channels. In contrast, the anterior (A) HVA stored choice history with sequential dynamics and represented posture. By examining intertrial variability of neuronal activity, researchers found that neurons in AM showed diverse interactions depending on the area, while those in area A shared fluctuations with the primary somatosensory area. Furthermore, pairwise interareal interactions among neurons were accurately predicted by anatomical input correlations, with the exception of a few global interactions. These findings suggest that the medial PPC comprises two separate modules - areas AM and A - each with unique modes of cortical communication. Area AM is responsible for multisensory and cognitive integration using locally processed signals, while area A transmits information, including posture, movement, and working memory.",
  "summary": "The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in mice has various functions, including multisensory integration, vision-guided behaviors, working memory, and posture control. However, an integrated understanding of these functions and their cortical localizations in and around the PPC and higher visual areas (HVAs) has not been completely elucidated. Here, we simultaneously imaged the activity of thousands…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}