Fig. 5: Stereotypical thalamic patterns constrain movement-related activity.

a Average firing rates (z-scored) evoked by M1 stimulation. Cells are time sorted according to their highest firing rate between the first and second stimulus of the train (left), or to the order obtained from behavioral execution displayed in Fig. 4d (right). b Average M1-evoked patterns for cells belonging to specific pattern clusters (300 ms ISI) in trained (orange) and naïve animals (gray). Pattern prevalence (bottom right panel, K-W, df = 9, X² = 58.45, p < 0.001; Type 2 p = 0.019). c Average firing rate during behavioral execution of two subgroups of cells above 75th and below 25th percentiles indicated in orange and blue brackets of panel a, respectively (aligned to reward delivery, green line and arrow). d Average firing rate evoked by M1 train stimulation (red dots) for the same subpopulations. Activity is aligned to the onset of the first stimulus of the train. e Amplitude of the subpopulation’s late responses for each stimulus of the train (K-W, df = 9, X² = 1167.69, p < 0.001; Bonferroni, <25th 1vs3-5 p < 0.001; >75th 1vs4 p < 0.001, 1vs5 p = 0.002; <25th 2–5 vs 75th 2–5 p < 0.001). f, g Same as in (d, e) but for subpopulations within the 50th to 65th and 35th to 50th percentiles of the population (indicated in a, right) (K-W, df = 9, X² = 968.11, p < 0.001; Bonferroni, <25^th 1vs3-5 p < 0.001; >75^th 1vs2,3,4,5 p < 0.001; <25th 1 & 2 vs 75th 2–5 p < 0.001; <25th 3 vs 75th 3, 5 p < 0.01; <25th 4,5 vs 75th 1,2 p < 0.001). Red dotted line in (e, g) as visual reference. Statistical comparisons in (b, e, g), were calculated in 461 neurons depicted in (a). In (b–d, f), solid lines and shaded areas represent the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. Non-parametric one-way ANOVA was applied (b, e, g), and the central line and box in boxplots represent the median and 25th–75th percentiles, whiskers extend to the most extreme datapoints excluding outliers.