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A cortical output channel for perceptual categorization.

Overview

Authors: Nathan A. Schneider1,2,3, Michael I. Malina2,3,4, Ross S. Williamson1,2,3,5,6
ORCID iDs: Nathan A. Schneider, Michael I. Malina, Ross S. Williamson
  1. Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  2. Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  3. Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  4. Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  5. Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  6. Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh (United States); Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (United States); Carnegie Mellon University (United States)
Journal: Science advances, volume 12, issue 35, article eaef3715
Dates: received 10 January 2026; accepted 20 July 2026; published online 26 August 2026; in print August 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY-NC
Identifiers: DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aef3715 · PMID 42647651 · PMCID PMC13510698 · OpenAlex W4414140970
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Preprint: doi:10.1101/2025.09.05.674544
Status: data only
Categories: mouse (organism), cognitive (subfield)
Methods: Connectivity, Smoothing, state filtering, decompositions, Machine learning, Preprocessing, fMRI & imaging, Single-unit activity, calcium imaging
MeSH: Auditory Cortex*, Auditory Perception*, Neurons*, Animals, Decision Making, Learning, Mice (* major topic)
Journal subjects: Neuroscience, Neurophysiology
Topic: Neural dynamics and brain function (Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience), according to OpenAlex
Funding: National Institutes of Health (T32NS007433); National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC020459, R21DC018327, F31DC021363); Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund (EAJK Fund) (Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship in Neuroscience); Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) (Emerging Research Grant)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 140 references in the paper

Abstract

Perceptual categorization transforms graded sensory inputs into discrete representations that support decision-making. While the auditory cortex is causally important for this process, a specific circuit location where continuous physical inputs are transformed into discrete decision variables remains unknown. Here, we address this by performing longitudinal two-photon imaging of layer 5 (L5) extratelencephalic (ET) neurons alongside L2/3 and L5 intratelencephalic (IT) populations in mice learning a categorization task. With learning, L5 ET neurons underwent pronounced tuning shifts and developed robust categorical responses, whereas L2/3 and L5 IT neurons did not. This transformation is not merely an intrinsic feature of the cell type but is dynamically controlled by task engagement, emerging only during active decision-making. Using a generalized linear model, we confirmed that categorical selectivity in L5 ET neurons reflects genuine sensory encoding rather than being a by-product of choice-driven activity. These findings identify L5 ET neurons as a cortical output channel to categorize stimuli into a decision variable to guide actions.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Code

The paper links to its data, not to its authors' code: see the Data section.

The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.

Tracing map

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Data

Datasets cited

Data, code, and materials availability

All data needed to evaluate and reproduce the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials and are available from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20129031. No new materials were generated by this study.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Versions

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 3 authors, 7 MeSH terms, 4 funders, 140 references.

Cite

This paper

Schneider, N. A., Malina, M. I., & Williamson, R. S. (2026). A cortical output channel for perceptual categorization. Science advances, 12(35), eaef3715. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef3715

BibTeX

@article{schneider2026cortical,
author = {Schneider, Nathan A. and Malina, Michael I. and Williamson, Ross S.},
title = {{A cortical output channel for perceptual categorization}},
journal = {Science advances},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
volume = {12},
number = {35},
pages = {eaef3715},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
issn = {2375-2548},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aef3715},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef3715},
pmid = {42647651},
pmcid = {PMC13510698}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Schneider, Nathan A.
AU - Malina, Michael I.
AU - Williamson, Ross S.
TI - A cortical output channel for perceptual categorization
T2 - Science advances
J2 - Sci Adv
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/26
VL - 12
IS - 35
SP - eaef3715
SN - 2375-2548
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aef3715
UR - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aef3715
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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