Two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 somas and layer 5 dendrites in mouse visual cortex during visual occlusion (v1)

It is thought that cortical feedback is crucial for accurate sensory perception and awareness. However, it remains unclear whether feedforward and feedback information is integrated at the level of individual neurons or whether separate neuronal populations can encode the different information streams. We present a dataset containing recorded calcium signals in layer 2/3 and layer 5 pyramidal neurons of mouse visual cortex. The used behavioral paradigm was aimed at separately inducing sensory and contextual responses in the mouse primary visual cortex while tracking neuronal activity using two-photon calcium imaging for testing if feedforward inputs are modulated by feedback inputs providing contextual information. We further trained mice to detect natural scenes to test how perceptual learning induced stimulus-specific plasticity. Our dataset comprises the raw calcium images and extracted neuronal activity of pre-selected regions-of-interest for layer 2/3 and layer 5 pyramidal neurons. In addition, we provide log files, trial events and behavioral data of the mouse such as pupil size, pupil location and locomotor activity. This dataset will be useful for analyzing and modeling plasticity and integration of feedforward and contextual information streams in mouse visual cortex.