Population-level encoding of somatosensation in mouse sensorimotor cortex

We provide evidence that neural encoding of somatosensory limb inputs mirrors well-known encoding principles of motor commands. Population-level analysis of neural activity during passive limb movements in mice revealed a conserved and low-dimensional structure with orthogonal representations of ipsilateral and contralateral limbs. Neural populations also encoded endpoint positions in addition to joint angle changes during limb movements. These results demonstrate somatosensory representations are organized to facilitate sensorimotor integration, which can inform the development of neural prostheses.