Goal-directed behavior requires the interaction of multiple brain regions. How these regions and their interactions with brain-wide activity drive action selection is less understood. We have investigated this question by combining whole-brain volumetric calcium imaging using light-field microscopy and an operant-conditioning task in larval zebrafish. We find global, recurring dynamics of brain states to exhibit pre-motor bifurcations toward mutually exclusive decision outcomes. These dynamics arise from a distributed network displaying trial-by-trial functional connectivity changes, especially between cerebellum and habenula, which correlate with decision outcome. Within this network the cerebellum shows particularly strong and predictive pre-motor activity (>10 s before movement initiation), mainly within the granule cells. Turn directions are determined by the difference neuroactivity between the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres, while the rate of bi-hemispheric population ramping quantitatively predicts decision time on the trial-by-trial level. Our results highlight a cognitive role of the cerebellum and its importance in motor planning.

中文翻译：

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小脑神经动力学预测单试验级别的决策时间和结果。

目标导向的行为需要多个大脑区域的相互作用。这些区域及其与全脑活动的相互作用如何驱动动作选择尚不清楚。我们通过结合使用光场显微镜的全脑体积钙成像和幼虫斑马鱼的操作性调节任务来研究这个问题。我们发现大脑状态的全局、重复动态表现出运动前分叉，导致相互排斥的决策结果。这些动态源于一个分布式网络，该网络显示了逐次试验的功能连接变化，尤其是在小脑和缰核之间，这与决策结果相关。在这个网络中，小脑显示出特别强的和可预测的前运动活动（运动开始前 >10 秒），主要在颗粒细胞内。转弯方向由同侧和对侧半球之间的神经活动差异决定，而双半球人口增加的速度定量预测了逐个试验级别的决策时间。我们的结果强调了小脑的认知作用及其在运动规划中的重要性。