Locomotion-dependent auditory gating to the parietal cortex guides multisensory decisions.

Abstract

Decision-making in mammals fundamentally relies on integrating multiple sensory inputs, with conflicting information resolved flexibly based on a dominant sensory modality. However, the neural mechanisms underlying state-dependent changes in sensory dominance remain poorly understood. Our study demonstrates that locomotion in mice shifts auditory-dominant decisions toward visual dominance during audiovisual conflicts. Using circuit-specific calcium imaging and optogenetic manipulations, we found that weakened visual representation in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) leads to auditory-dominant decisions in stationary mice. Prolonged locomotion, however, promotes visual dominance by inhibiting auditory cortical neurons projecting to the PPC (AC_PPC). This shift is mediated by secondary motor cortical neurons projecting to the auditory cortex (M2_AC), which specifically inhibit AC_PPC neurons without affecting auditory cortical projections to the striatum (AC_STR). Our findings reveal the neural circuit mechanisms underlying auditory gating to the association cortex depending on locomotion states, providing insights into the state-dependent changes in sensory dominance during multisensory decision-making.