Behavioral Context Shapes Sensory Responses in Vibrissal Motor Cortex

Understanding how motor cortical circuits flexibly transform sensory and contextual information into behavior remains a central challenge. Whether neurons in primary vibrissal motor cortex (M1) multiplex across behaviors or are selectively engaged in context-specific actions is still unclear. To address this question, we trained mice on multiple vibrissal sensorimotor tasks, including a cue-triggered whisking-to-touch task and an air-puff–triggered licking task. Fast-spiking and regular-spiking neurons in layers 2/3 and 5 in vM1 responded robustly within ∼15 ms to air-puff stimulation. In contrast, these same neurons were only weakly modulated during goal-directed whisking-to-touch behavior. Unexpected air-puffs evoked responses in fewer neurons than expected stimuli. Trials in which stimulation elicited whisker movements produced smaller neural responses than trials without whisking. Stimulus-evoked activity in M1 was organized along a spectrum of response profiles with neurons exhibiting varying responses dynamics that cut across laminar and physiological distinctions. This organization of responses is consistent with context-dependent recruitment of M1 neurons. Together, these findings indicate that M1 activity is more closely associated with the selection of specific behavioral responses than with generalized sensory-motor encoding.