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Cang J, Chen C, Li C, Liu Y. Genetically defined neuron types underlying visuomotor transformation in the superior colliculus. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024:10.1038/s41583-024-00856-4. [PMID: 39333418 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00856-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024]
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a conserved midbrain structure that is important for transforming visual and other sensory information into motor actions. Decades of investigations in numerous species have made the SC and its nonmammalian homologue, the optic tectum, one of the best studied structures in the brain, with rich information now available regarding its anatomical organization, its extensive inputs and outputs and its important functions in many reflexive and cognitive behaviours. Excitingly, recent studies using modern genomic and physiological approaches have begun to reveal the diverse neuronal subtypes in the SC, as well as their unique functions in visuomotor transformation. Studies have also started to uncover how subtypes of SC neurons form intricate circuits to mediate visual processing and visually guided behaviours. Here, we review these recent discoveries on the cell types and neuronal circuits underlying visuomotor transformations mediated by the SC. We also highlight the important future directions made possible by these new developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Chuiwen Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Yuanming Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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2
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Grady JM, Amme JL, Bhaskaran-Nair K, Sinha V, Brunwasser SJ, Record S, Dell AI, Hengen KB. Temperature-dependent predation predicts a more reptilian future. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.19.613816. [PMID: 39345462 PMCID: PMC11430022 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.19.613816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
Diversity increases toward the tropics, but the strength of this pattern diverges with thermo-regulatory strategy. Synthesizing over 30,000 species distributions, we quantified patterns of richness in terrestrial vertebrates, and present evidence for a latitudinal gradient of community composition. We observe a two orders of magnitude shift in comparative diversity with temperature, from endothermic mammal and avian dominance near the poles, toward ectothermic reptile and amphibian majority in the tropics. Next, we provide mechanistic support for a corresponding latitudinal gradient of predatory interactions. Using automated video tracking in > 4500 trials, we show that differences in thermal sensitivity of locomotion in endothermic predators and ectothermic prey favors endotherms in colder environments and yields theoretically predicted foraging outcomes across thermal conditions, including the number of strikes, the distance traveled, and the time to capture prey. We also present evidence that endotherms use thermal cues to anticipate prey behavior, modulating the impact of temperature. Finally, we integrate theory and data to forecast future patterns of diversity, revealing that as the world get warmer, it will become increasingly reptilian. Overall, our results point toward a broad reorganization of vertebrate diversity with latitude, elevation, and temperature: from endotherm dominance in cold systems toward ectotherm dominance in warm.
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3
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Rogalla MM, Quass GL, Yardley H, Martinez-Voigt C, Ford AN, Wallace G, Dileepkumar D, Corfas G, Apostolides PF. Population coding of auditory space in the dorsal inferior colliculus persists with altered binaural cues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.13.612867. [PMID: 39314270 PMCID: PMC11419156 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.13.612867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Sound localization is critical for real-world hearing, such as segregating overlapping sound streams. For optimal flexibility, central representations of auditory space must adapt to peripheral changes in binaural cue availability, such as following asymmetric hearing loss in adulthood. However, whether the mature auditory system can reliably encode spatial auditory representations upon abrupt changes in binaural input is unclear. Here we use 2-photon Ca2+ imaging in awake head-fixed mice to determine how the higher-order "shell" layers of the inferior colliculus (IC) encode sound source location in the frontal azimuth, under binaural conditions and after acute monaural hearing loss induced by an ear plug ipsilateral to the imaged hemisphere. Spatial receptive fields were typically broad and not exclusively contralateral: Neurons responded reliably to multiple positions in the contra- and ipsi-lateral hemifields, with preferred positions tiling the entire frontal azimuth. Ear plugging broadened receptive fields and reduced spatial selectivity in a subset of neurons, in agreement with an inhibitory influence of ipsilateral sounds. However ear plugging also enhanced spatial tuning and/or unmasked receptive fields in other neurons, shifting the distribution of preferred angles ipsilaterally with minimal impact on the neuronal population's overall spatial resolution; these effects occurred within 2 hours of ear plugging. Consequently, linear classifiers trained on fluorescence data from control and ear-plugged conditions had similar classification accuracy when tested on held out data from within, but not across hearing conditions. Spatially informative neuronal population codes therefore arise rapidly following monaural hearing loss, in absence of overt experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike M Rogalla
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Gunnar L Quass
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Harry Yardley
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Clara Martinez-Voigt
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Alexander N Ford
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Gunseli Wallace
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Deepak Dileepkumar
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Gabriel Corfas
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Pierre F Apostolides
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute & Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
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4
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Peelman K, Haider B. Environmental context sculpts spatial and temporal visual processing in thalamus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.26.605345. [PMID: 39091887 PMCID: PMC11291113 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.26.605345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Behavioral state modulates neural activity throughout the visual system; this is largely due to changes in arousal that alter internal brain state. However, behaviors are constrained by the external environmental context, so it remains unclear if this context itself dictates the regime of visual processing, apart from ongoing changes in arousal. Here, we addressed this question in awake head-fixed mice while they passively viewed visual stimuli in two different environmental contexts: either a cylindrical tube, or a circular running wheel. We targeted high-density silicon probe recordings to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and simultaneously measured several electrophysiological and behavioral correlates of arousal changes, and thus controlled for them across contexts. We found surprising differences in spatial and temporal processing in dLGN across contexts, even in identical states of alertness and stillness. The wheel context (versus tube) showed elevated baseline activity, faster visual responses, and smaller but less selective spatial receptive fields. Further, arousal caused similar changes to visual responsiveness across all conditions, but the environmental context mainly changed the overall set-point for this relationship. Together, our results reveal an unexpected influence of the physical environmental context on fundamental aspects of visual processing in the early visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Peelman
- Dept of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Dept of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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5
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Visser J, Milior G, Breton R, Moulard J, Garnero M, Ezan P, Ribot J, Rouach N. Astroglial networks control visual responses of superior collicular neurons and sensory-motor behavior. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114504. [PMID: 38996064 PMCID: PMC11290320 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Astroglial networks closely interact with neuronal populations, but their functional contribution to neuronal representation of sensory information remains unexplored. The superior colliculus (SC) integrates multi-sensory information by generating distinct spatial patterns of neuronal functional responses to specific sensory stimulation. Here, we report that astrocytes from the mouse SC form extensive networks in the retinorecipient layer compared to visual cortex. This strong astroglial connectivity relies on high expression of gap-junction proteins. Genetic disruption of this connectivity functionally impairs SC retinotopic and orientation preference responses. These alterations are region specific, absent in primary visual cortex, and associated at the circuit level with a specific impairment of collicular neurons synaptic transmission. This has implications for SC-related visually induced innate behavior, as disrupting astroglial networks impairs light-evoked temporary arrest. Our results indicate that astroglial networks shape synaptic circuit activity underlying SC functional visual responses and play a crucial role in integrating visual cues to drive sensory-motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josien Visser
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France; Doctoral School No. 158, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Giampaolo Milior
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Rachel Breton
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Julien Moulard
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Maina Garnero
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France; Doctoral School No. 158, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Pascal Ezan
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Ribot
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Rouach
- Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France.
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6
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Fitzpatrick MJ, Krizan J, Hsiang JC, Shen N, Kerschensteiner D. A pupillary contrast response in mice and humans: Neural mechanisms and visual functions. Neuron 2024; 112:2404-2422.e9. [PMID: 38697114 PMCID: PMC11257825 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
In the pupillary light response (PLR), increases in ambient light constrict the pupil to dampen increases in retinal illuminance. Here, we report that the pupillary reflex arc implements a second input-output transformation; it senses temporal contrast to enhance spatial contrast in the retinal image and increase visual acuity. The pupillary contrast response (PCoR) is driven by rod photoreceptors via type 6 bipolar cells and M1 ganglion cells. Temporal contrast is transformed into sustained pupil constriction by the M1's conversion of excitatory input into spike output. Computational modeling explains how the PCoR shapes retinal images. Pupil constriction improves acuity in gaze stabilization and predation in mice. Humans exhibit a PCoR with similar tuning properties to mice, which interacts with eye movements to optimize the statistics of the visual input for retinal encoding. Thus, we uncover a conserved component of active vision, its cell-type-specific pathway, computational mechanisms, and optical and behavioral significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Fitzpatrick
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jenna Krizan
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jen-Chun Hsiang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ning Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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7
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Skyberg RJ, Niell CM. Natural visual behavior and active sensing in the mouse. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102882. [PMID: 38704868 PMCID: PMC11254345 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
In the natural world, animals use vision for a wide variety of behaviors not reflected in most laboratory paradigms. Although mice have low-acuity vision, they use their vision for many natural behaviors, including predator avoidance, prey capture, and navigation. They also perform active sensing, moving their head and eyes to achieve behavioral goals and acquire visual information. These aspects of natural vision result in visual inputs and corresponding behavioral outputs that are outside the range of conventional vision studies but are essential aspects of visual function. Here, we review recent studies in mice that have tapped into natural behavior and active sensing to reveal the computational logic of neural circuits for vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf J Skyberg
- Department of Biology and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403, USA. https://twitter.com/SkybergRolf
| | - Cristopher M Niell
- Department of Biology and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403, USA.
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8
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Oesch LT, Ryan MB, Churchland AK. From innate to instructed: A new look at perceptual decision-making. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102871. [PMID: 38569230 PMCID: PMC11162954 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how subjects perceive sensory stimuli in their environment and use this information to guide appropriate actions is a major challenge in neuroscience. To study perceptual decision-making in animals, researchers use tasks that either probe spontaneous responses to stimuli (often described as "naturalistic") or train animals to associate stimuli with experimenter-defined responses. Spontaneous decisions rely on animals' pre-existing knowledge, while trained tasks offer greater versatility, albeit often at the cost of extensive training. Here, we review emerging approaches to investigate perceptual decision-making using both spontaneous and trained behaviors, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Additionally, we propose how trained decision-making tasks could be improved to achieve faster learning and a more generalizable understanding of task rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas T Oesch
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Michael B Ryan
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States. https://twitter.com/NeuroMikeRyan
| | - Anne K Churchland
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.
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9
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Ambrad Giovannetti E, Rancz E. Behind mouse eyes: The function and control of eye movements in mice. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105671. [PMID: 38604571 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The mouse visual system has become the most popular model to study the cellular and circuit mechanisms of sensory processing. However, the importance of eye movements only started to be appreciated recently. Eye movements provide a basis for predictive sensing and deliver insights into various brain functions and dysfunctions. A plethora of knowledge on the central control of eye movements and their role in perception and behaviour arose from work on primates. However, an overview of various eye movements in mice and a comparison to primates is missing. Here, we review the eye movement types described to date in mice and compare them to those observed in primates. We discuss the central neuronal mechanisms for their generation and control. Furthermore, we review the mounting literature on eye movements in mice during head-fixed and freely moving behaviours. Finally, we highlight gaps in our understanding and suggest future directions for research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ede Rancz
- INMED, INSERM, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
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10
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DePiero VJ, Deng Z, Chen C, Savier EL, Chen H, Wei W, Cang J. Transformation of Motion Pattern Selectivity from Retina to Superior Colliculus. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1704232024. [PMID: 38569924 PMCID: PMC11097260 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1704-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a prominent and conserved visual center in all vertebrates. In mice, the most superficial lamina of the SC is enriched with neurons that are selective for the moving direction of visual stimuli. Here, we study how these direction selective neurons respond to complex motion patterns known as plaids, using two-photon calcium imaging in awake male and female mice. The plaid pattern consists of two superimposed sinusoidal gratings moving in different directions, giving an apparent pattern direction that lies between the directions of the two component gratings. Most direction selective neurons in the mouse SC respond robustly to the plaids and show a high selectivity for the moving direction of the plaid pattern but not of its components. Pattern motion selectivity is seen in both excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons and is especially prevalent in response to plaids with large cross angles between the two component gratings. However, retinal inputs to the SC are ambiguous in their selectivity to pattern versus component motion. Modeling suggests that pattern motion selectivity in the SC can arise from a nonlinear transformation of converging retinal inputs. In contrast, the prevalence of pattern motion selective neurons is not seen in the primary visual cortex (V1). These results demonstrate an interesting difference between the SC and V1 in motion processing and reveal the SC as an important site for encoding pattern motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor J DePiero
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Zixuan Deng
- Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Elise L Savier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
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Nivinsky Margalit S, Slovin H. Encoding luminance surfaces in the visual cortex of mice and monkeys: difference in responses to edge and center. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae165. [PMID: 38652553 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Luminance and spatial contrast provide information on the surfaces and edges of objects. We investigated neural responses to black and white surfaces in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice and monkeys. Unlike primates that use their fovea to inspect objects with high acuity, mice lack a fovea and have low visual acuity. It thus remains unclear whether monkeys and mice share similar neural mechanisms to process surfaces. The animals were presented with white or black surfaces and the population responses were measured at high spatial and temporal resolution using voltage-sensitive dye imaging. In mice, the population response to the surface was not edge-dominated with a tendency to center-dominance, whereas in monkeys the response was edge-dominated with a "hole" in the center of the surface. The population response to the surfaces in both species exhibited suppression relative to a grating stimulus. These results reveal the differences in spatial patterns to luminance surfaces in the V1 of mice and monkeys and provide evidence for a shared suppression process relative to grating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shany Nivinsky Margalit
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Hamutal Slovin
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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12
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de Malmazet D, Kühn NK, Li C, Farrow K. Retinal origin of orientation but not direction selective maps in the superior colliculus. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1222-1233.e7. [PMID: 38417446 PMCID: PMC10980837 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Neurons in the mouse superior colliculus ("colliculus") are arranged in ordered spatial maps. While orientation-selective (OS) neurons form a concentric map aligned to the center of vision, direction-selective (DS) neurons are arranged in patches with changing preferences across the visual field. It remains unclear whether these maps are a consequence of feedforward input from the retina or local computations in the colliculus. To determine whether these maps originate in the retina, we mapped the local and global distribution of OS and DS retinal ganglion cell axon boutons using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. We found that OS boutons formed patches that matched the distribution of OS neurons within the colliculus. DS boutons displayed fewer regional specializations, better reflecting the organization of DS neurons in the retina. Both eyes convey similar orientation but different DS inputs to the colliculus, as shown in recordings from retinal explants. These data demonstrate that orientation and direction maps within the colliculus are independent, where orientation maps are likely inherited from the retina, but direction maps require additional computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel de Malmazet
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven 3001, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Biology & Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium; MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Norma K Kühn
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven 3001, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Biology & Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium; VIB, Leuven 3001, Belgium
| | - Chen Li
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven 3001, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Biology & Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Karl Farrow
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven 3001, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Biology & Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven 3000, Belgium; VIB, Leuven 3001, Belgium; imec, Leuven 3001, Belgium.
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13
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Krizan J, Song X, Fitzpatrick MJ, Shen N, Soto F, Kerschensteiner D. Predation without direction selectivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317218121. [PMID: 38483997 PMCID: PMC10962952 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317218121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, visual predation relies on motion-sensing neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) and its orthologs. These neurons exhibit complex stimulus preferences, including direction selectivity, which is thought to be critical for tracking the unpredictable escape routes of prey. The source of direction selectivity in the SC is contested, and its contributions to predation have not been tested experimentally. Here, we use type-specific cell removal to show that narrow-field (NF) neurons in the mouse SC guide predation. In vivo recordings demonstrate that direction-selective responses of NF cells are independent of recently reported stimulus-edge effects. Monosynaptic retrograde tracing reveals that NF cells receive synaptic input from direction-selective ganglion cells. When we eliminate direction selectivity in the retina of adult mice, direction-selective responses in the SC, including in NF cells, are lost. However, eliminating retinal direction selectivity does not affect the hunting success or strategies of mice, even when direction selectivity is removed after mice have learned to hunt, and despite abolishing the gaze-stabilizing optokinetic reflex. Thus, our results identify the retinal source of direction selectivity in the SC. They show that NF cells in the SC guide predation, an essential spatial orienting task, independent of their direction selectivity, revealing behavioral multiplexing of complex neural feature preferences and highlighting the importance of feature-selective manipulations for neuroethology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna Krizan
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
- Graduate program in Neuroscience, Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
| | - Xiayingfang Song
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
- Graduate program in Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Michael J. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
- Graduate program in Neuroscience, Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
| | - Ning Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
| | - Florentina Soto
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
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14
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Galván Fraile J, Scherr F, Ramasco JJ, Arkhipov A, Maass W, Mirasso CR. Modeling circuit mechanisms of opposing cortical responses to visual flow perturbations. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011921. [PMID: 38452057 PMCID: PMC10950248 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In an ever-changing visual world, animals' survival depends on their ability to perceive and respond to rapidly changing motion cues. The primary visual cortex (V1) is at the forefront of this sensory processing, orchestrating neural responses to perturbations in visual flow. However, the underlying neural mechanisms that lead to distinct cortical responses to such perturbations remain enigmatic. In this study, our objective was to uncover the neural dynamics that govern V1 neurons' responses to visual flow perturbations using a biologically realistic computational model. By subjecting the model to sudden changes in visual input, we observed opposing cortical responses in excitatory layer 2/3 (L2/3) neurons, namely, depolarizing and hyperpolarizing responses. We found that this segregation was primarily driven by the competition between external visual input and recurrent inhibition, particularly within L2/3 and L4. This division was not observed in excitatory L5/6 neurons, suggesting a more prominent role for inhibitory mechanisms in the visual processing of the upper cortical layers. Our findings share similarities with recent experimental studies focusing on the opposing influence of top-down and bottom-up inputs in the mouse primary visual cortex during visual flow perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Galván Fraile
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos (IFISC), UIB-CSIC, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Franz Scherr
- Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - José J. Ramasco
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos (IFISC), UIB-CSIC, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Anton Arkhipov
- Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Wolfgang Maass
- Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Claudio R. Mirasso
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos (IFISC), UIB-CSIC, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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15
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Su J, Byer L, Liang Y, Fox MA. Distribution, development, and identity of retinal ganglion cells labeled in the Sert-Cre reporter mouse. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25606. [PMID: 38544361 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The mouse retina contains over 40 types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) that differ in morphology, function, or gene expression. RGCs also differ by whether their axons target the brain.s ipsilateral or contralateral hemisphere. Contralaterally projecting RGCs (contraRGCs) are widespread in mouse retina, whereas ipsilateral projecting RGCs (ipsiRGCs) are confined to the ventro-temporal (VT) crescent of retina. In this study, we employed the Sert-Cre transgenic line, which had been reported to selectively label ipsiRGCs, to study ipsiRGCs during development. Although the number of Cre-expressing ipsiRGCs did not significantly increase with postnatal age, the region of retina that they occupied did, and by adulthood represented ~30% of the retinal surface. Unexpectedly, genetic ablation of Sert-Cre cells failed to fully disrupt ipsilateral projecting retinal axons, suggesting that not all ipsiRGCs generated Cre in Sert-Cre mice. To test this hypothesis, we retrogradely labeled ipsiRGCs in Sert-Cre mice which revealed that not all ipsiRGCs are labeled in Sert-Cre mice and a small population of contraRGCs flanking the VT crescent generates Cre in this line. These results do not negate the usefulness of the Sert-Cre mouse but do raise important caveats to the interpretation of such studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianmin Su
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- School of Neuroscience, College of Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Lillian Byer
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina, USA
- NeuroSURF Program, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Yanping Liang
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael A Fox
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- School of Neuroscience, College of Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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16
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Hu G, Chen A, Ye J, Liu Q, Wang J, Fan C, Wang X, Huang M, Dai M, Shi X, Gu Y. A developmental critical period for ocular dominance plasticity of binocular neurons in mouse superior colliculus. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113667. [PMID: 38184852 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Detecting visual features in the environment is crucial for animals' survival. The superior colliculus (SC) is implicated in motion detection and processing, whereas how the SC integrates visual inputs from the two eyes remains unclear. Using in vivo electrophysiology, we show that mouse SC contains many binocular neurons that display robust ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in a critical period during early development, which is similar to, but not dependent on, the primary visual cortex. NR2A- and NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play an essential role in the regulation of SC plasticity. Blocking NMDA receptors can largely prevent the impairment of predatory hunting caused by monocular deprivation, indicating that maintaining the binocularity of SC neurons is required for efficient hunting behavior. Together, our studies reveal the existence and function of OD plasticity in SC, which broadens our understanding of the development of subcortical visual circuitry relating to motion detection and predatory hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanglei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310000, China
| | - Ailin Chen
- Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Institute, Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300020, China
| | - Jingjing Ye
- Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Institute, Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300020, China; Medical College of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Qiong Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310000, China
| | - Jiafeng Wang
- Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Institute, Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300020, China
| | - Cunxiu Fan
- Jiading Branch of Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 800 Huangjiahuayuan Road, Shanghai 201803, China
| | - Xiaoqing Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Mengqi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Menghan Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xuefeng Shi
- Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Institute, Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300020, China; Medical College of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250014, China; Institute of Ophthalmology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300020, China.
| | - Yu Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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17
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Nguyen D, Wang G, Gu Y. The medial entorhinal cortex encodes multisensory spatial information. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.09.574924. [PMID: 38313299 PMCID: PMC10836072 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.09.574924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Animals employ spatial information in multisensory modalities to navigate their natural environments. However, it is unclear whether the brain encodes such information in separate cognitive maps or integrates all into a single, universal map. We addressed this question in the microcircuit of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), a cognitive map of space. Using cellular-resolution calcium imaging, we examined the MEC of mice navigating virtual reality tracks, where visual and auditory cues provided comparable spatial information. We uncovered two cell types: "unimodality cells" and "multimodality cells". The unimodality cells specifically represent either auditory or visual spatial information. They are anatomically intermingled and maintain sensory preferences across multiple tracks and behavioral states. The multimodality cells respond to both sensory modalities with their responses shaped differentially by auditory and visual information. Thus, the MEC enables accurate spatial encoding during multisensory navigation by computing spatial information in different sensory modalities and generating distinct maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc Nguyen
- Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Current address: Center of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Garret Wang
- Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yi Gu
- Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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18
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Li Z, Peng B, Huang JJ, Zhang Y, Seo MB, Fang Q, Zhang GW, Zhang X, Zhang LI, Tao HW. Enhancement and contextual modulation of visuospatial processing by thalamocollicular projections from ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7278. [PMID: 37949869 PMCID: PMC10638288 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the mammalian visual system, the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) of the thalamus receives salient visual input from the retina and sends prominent GABAergic axons to the superior colliculus (SC). However, whether and how vLGN contributes to fundamental visual information processing remains largely unclear. Here, we report in mice that vLGN facilitates visually-guided approaching behavior mediated by the lateral SC and enhances the sensitivity of visual object detection. This can be attributed to the extremely broad spatial integration of vLGN neurons, as reflected in their much lower preferred spatial frequencies and broader spatial receptive fields than SC neurons. Through GABAergic thalamocollicular projections, vLGN specifically exerts prominent surround suppression of visuospatial processing in SC, leading to a fine tuning of SC preferences to higher spatial frequencies and smaller objects in a context-dependent manner. Thus, as an essential component of the central visual processing pathway, vLGN serves to refine and contextually modulate visuospatial processing in SC-mediated visuomotor behaviors via visually-driven long-range feedforward inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Li
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Bo Peng
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Junxiang J Huang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Michelle B Seo
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Qi Fang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Guang-Wei Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li I Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
| | - Huizhong Whit Tao
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
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19
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Chinta S, Pluta SR. Neural mechanisms for the localization of unexpected external motion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6112. [PMID: 37777516 PMCID: PMC10542789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41755-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To localize objects during active sensing, animals must differentiate stimuli caused by volitional movement from real-world object motion. To determine a neural basis for this ability, we examined the mouse superior colliculus (SC), which contains multiple egocentric maps of sensorimotor space. By placing mice in a whisker-guided virtual reality, we discovered a rapidly adapting tactile response that transiently emerged during externally generated gains in whisker contact. Responses to self-generated touch that matched self-generated history were significantly attenuated, revealing that transient response magnitude is controlled by sensorimotor predictions. The magnitude of the transient response gradually decreased with repetitions in external motion, revealing a slow habituation based on external history. The direction of external motion was accurately encoded in the firing rates of transiently responsive neurons. These data reveal that whisker-specific adaptation and sensorimotor predictions in SC neurons enhance the localization of unexpected, externally generated changes in tactile space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suma Chinta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Scott R Pluta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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20
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Saleem AB, Busse L. Interactions between rodent visual and spatial systems during navigation. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023:10.1038/s41583-023-00716-7. [PMID: 37380885 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00716-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Many behaviours that are critical for animals to survive and thrive rely on spatial navigation. Spatial navigation, in turn, relies on internal representations about one's spatial location, one's orientation or heading direction and the distance to objects in the environment. Although the importance of vision in guiding such internal representations has long been recognized, emerging evidence suggests that spatial signals can also modulate neural responses in the central visual pathway. Here, we review the bidirectional influences between visual and navigational signals in the rodent brain. Specifically, we discuss reciprocal interactions between vision and the internal representations of spatial position, explore the effects of vision on representations of an animal's heading direction and vice versa, and examine how the visual and navigational systems work together to assess the relative distances of objects and other features. Throughout, we consider how technological advances and novel ethological paradigms that probe rodent visuo-spatial behaviours allow us to advance our understanding of how brain areas of the central visual pathway and the spatial systems interact and enable complex behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aman B Saleem
- UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Laura Busse
- Division of Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Munich, Germany.
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21
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Zhao ZD, Zhang L, Xiang X, Kim D, Li H, Cao P, Shen WL. Neurocircuitry of Predatory Hunting. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:817-831. [PMID: 36705845 PMCID: PMC10170020 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-01018-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Predatory hunting is an important type of innate behavior evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. It is typically composed of a set of sequential actions, including prey search, pursuit, attack, and consumption. This behavior is subject to control by the nervous system. Early studies used toads as a model to probe the neuroethology of hunting, which led to the proposal of a sensory-triggered release mechanism for hunting actions. More recent studies have used genetically-trackable zebrafish and rodents and have made breakthrough discoveries in the neuroethology and neurocircuits underlying this behavior. Here, we review the sophisticated neurocircuitry involved in hunting and summarize the detailed mechanism for the circuitry to encode various aspects of hunting neuroethology, including sensory processing, sensorimotor transformation, motivation, and sequential encoding of hunting actions. We also discuss the overlapping brain circuits for hunting and feeding and point out the limitations of current studies. We propose that hunting is an ideal behavioral paradigm in which to study the neuroethology of motivated behaviors, which may shed new light on epidemic disorders, including binge-eating, obesity, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Dong Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xinkuan Xiang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Daesoo Kim
- Department of Cognitive Brain Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
| | - Haohong Li
- MOE Frontier Research Center of Brain & Brain-machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre and Hangzhou Seventh People`s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Wei L Shen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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22
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Scalabrino ML, Thapa M, Wang T, Sampath AP, Chen J, Field GD. Late gene therapy limits the restoration of retinal function in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.07.536035. [PMID: 37066264 PMCID: PMC10104154 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.07.536035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited photoreceptor degeneration that begins with rod loss followed by cone loss and eventual blindness. Gene therapies are being developed, but it is unknown how retinal function depends on the time of intervention. To uncover this dependence, we utilized a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa capable of artificial genetic rescue. This model enables a benchmark of best-case gene therapy by removing the variables that complicate the ability to answer this vital question. Complete genetic rescue was performed at 25%, 50%, and 70% rod loss (early, mid and late, respectively). Early and mid treatment restored retinal function to near wild-type levels, specifically the sensitivity and signal fidelity of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the 'output' neurons of the retina. However, some anatomical defects persisted. Late treatment retinas exhibited continued, albeit slowed, loss of sensitivity and signal fidelity among RGCs, as well as persistent gliosis. We conclude that gene replacement therapies delivered after 50% rod loss are unlikely to restore visual function to normal. This is critical information for administering gene therapies to rescue vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda L Scalabrino
- Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles CA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC
| | - Mishek Thapa
- Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles CA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC
| | - Tian Wang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA
| | - Alapakkam P Sampath
- Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles CA
| | - Jeannie Chen
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA
| | - Greg D Field
- Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles CA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC
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23
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Solomon SG, Janbon H, Bimson A, Wheatcroft T. Visual spatial location influences selection of instinctive behaviours in mouse. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230034. [PMID: 37122945 PMCID: PMC10130721 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Visual stimuli can elicit instinctive approach and avoidance behaviours. In mouse, vision is known to be important for both avoidance of an overhead threat and approach toward a potential terrestrial prey. The stimuli used to characterize these behaviours, however, vary in both spatial location (overhead or near the ground plane) and visual feature (rapidly expanding disc or slowly moving disc). We therefore asked how mice responded to the same visual features presented in each location. We found that a looming black disc induced escape behaviour when presented overhead or to the side of the animal, but the escapes produced by side-looms were less vigorous and often preceded by freezing behaviour. Similarly, small moving discs induced freezing behaviour when presented overhead or to the side of the animal, but side sweeps also elicited approach behaviours, such that mice explored the area of the arena near where the stimulus had been presented. Our observations therefore show that mice combine cues to the location and features of visual stimuli when selecting among potential behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G. Solomon
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience and Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Hadrien Janbon
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience and Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Adam Bimson
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience and Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Thomas Wheatcroft
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience and Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
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24
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Klioutchnikov A, Wallace DJ, Sawinski J, Voit KM, Groemping Y, Kerr JND. A three-photon head-mounted microscope for imaging all layers of visual cortex in freely moving mice. Nat Methods 2023; 20:610-616. [PMID: 36443485 PMCID: PMC10089923 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01688-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Advances in head-mounted microscopes have enabled imaging of neuronal activity using genetic tools in freely moving mice but these microscopes are restricted to recording in minimally lit arenas and imaging upper cortical layers. Here we built a 2-g, three-photon excitation-based microscope, containing a z-drive that enabled access to all cortical layers while mice freely behaved in a fully lit environment. The microscope had on-board photon detectors, robust to environmental light, and the arena lighting was timed to the end of each line-scan, enabling functional imaging of activity from cortical layer 4 and layer 6 neurons expressing jGCaMP7f in mice roaming a fully lit or dark arena. By comparing the neuronal activity measured from populations in these layers we show that activity in cortical layer 4 and layer 6 is differentially modulated by lit and dark conditions during free exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandr Klioutchnikov
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Damian J Wallace
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Juergen Sawinski
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kay-Michael Voit
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yvonne Groemping
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jason N D Kerr
- Department of Behavior and Brain Organization, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior-caesar, Bonn, Germany.
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25
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Ding Z, Fahey PG, Papadopoulos S, Wang EY, Celii B, Papadopoulos C, Kunin AB, Chang A, Fu J, Ding Z, Patel S, Ponder K, Muhammad T, Bae JA, Bodor AL, Brittain D, Buchanan J, Bumbarger DJ, Castro MA, Cobos E, Dorkenwald S, Elabbady L, Halageri A, Jia Z, Jordan C, Kapner D, Kemnitz N, Kinn S, Lee K, Li K, Lu R, Macrina T, Mahalingam G, Mitchell E, Mondal SS, Mu S, Nehoran B, Popovych S, Schneider-Mizell CM, Silversmith W, Takeno M, Torres R, Turner NL, Wong W, Wu J, Yin W, Yu SC, Froudarakis E, Sinz F, Seung HS, Collman F, da Costa NM, Reid RC, Walker EY, Pitkow X, Reimer J, Tolias AS. Functional connectomics reveals general wiring rule in mouse visual cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.13.531369. [PMID: 36993398 PMCID: PMC10054929 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.13.531369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
To understand how the brain computes, it is important to unravel the relationship between circuit connectivity and function. Previous research has shown that excitatory neurons in layer 2/3 of the primary visual cortex of mice with similar response properties are more likely to form connections. However, technical challenges of combining synaptic connectivity and functional measurements have limited these studies to few, highly local connections. Utilizing the millimeter scale and nanometer resolution of the MICrONS dataset, we studied the connectivity-function relationship in excitatory neurons of the mouse visual cortex across interlaminar and interarea projections, assessing connection selectivity at the coarse axon trajectory and fine synaptic formation levels. A digital twin model of this mouse, that accurately predicted responses to arbitrary video stimuli, enabled a comprehensive characterization of the function of neurons. We found that neurons with highly correlated responses to natural videos tended to be connected with each other, not only within the same cortical area but also across multiple layers and visual areas, including feedforward and feedback connections, whereas we did not find that orientation preference predicted connectivity. The digital twin model separated each neuron's tuning into a feature component (what the neuron responds to) and a spatial component (where the neuron's receptive field is located). We show that the feature, but not the spatial component, predicted which neurons were connected at the fine synaptic scale. Together, our results demonstrate the "like-to-like" connectivity rule generalizes to multiple connection types, and the rich MICrONS dataset is suitable to further refine a mechanistic understanding of circuit structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuokun Ding
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Paul G Fahey
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Stelios Papadopoulos
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Eric Y Wang
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Brendan Celii
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Christos Papadopoulos
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Alexander B Kunin
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Creighton University, Omaha, USA
| | - Andersen Chang
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Jiakun Fu
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Zhiwei Ding
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Saumil Patel
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Kayla Ponder
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Taliah Muhammad
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - J Alexander Bae
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Manuel A Castro
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Erick Cobos
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | - Akhilesh Halageri
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Zhen Jia
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Chris Jordan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Dan Kapner
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, USA
| | - Nico Kemnitz
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Sam Kinn
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, USA
| | - Kisuk Lee
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Brain & Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | - Kai Li
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Ran Lu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Thomas Macrina
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | - Eric Mitchell
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Shanka Subhra Mondal
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Shang Mu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Barak Nehoran
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Sergiy Popovych
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | | | - Marc Takeno
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, USA
| | | | - Nicholas L Turner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - William Wong
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Jingpeng Wu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Wenjing Yin
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, USA
| | - Szi-Chieh Yu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Emmanouil Froudarakis
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Fabian Sinz
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - H Sebastian Seung
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | | | - R Clay Reid
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, USA
| | - Edgar Y Walker
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Xaq Pitkow
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, USA
| | - Jacob Reimer
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
| | - Andreas S Tolias
- Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, USA
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Reggiani JDS, Jiang Q, Barbini M, Lutas A, Liang L, Fernando J, Deng F, Wan J, Li Y, Chen C, Andermann ML. Brainstem serotonin neurons selectively gate retinal information flow to thalamus. Neuron 2023; 111:711-726.e11. [PMID: 36584680 PMCID: PMC10131437 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types relay parallel streams of visual feature information. We hypothesized that neuromodulators might efficiently control which visual information streams reach the cortex by selectively gating transmission from specific RGC axons in the thalamus. Using fiber photometry recordings, we found that optogenetic stimulation of serotonergic axons in primary visual thalamus of awake mice suppressed ongoing and visually evoked calcium activity and glutamate release from RGC boutons. Two-photon calcium imaging revealed that serotonin axon stimulation suppressed RGC boutons that responded strongly to global changes in luminance more than those responding only to local visual stimuli, while the converse was true for suppression induced by increases in arousal. Converging evidence suggests that differential expression of the 5-HT1B receptor on RGC presynaptic terminals, but not differential density of nearby serotonin axons, may contribute to the selective serotonergic gating of specific visual information streams before they can activate thalamocortical neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine D S Reggiani
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Qiufen Jiang
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Melanie Barbini
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew Lutas
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Liang Liang
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jesseba Fernando
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Fei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jinxia Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chinfei Chen
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Mark L Andermann
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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27
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Luongo FJ, Liu L, Ho CLA, Hesse JK, Wekselblatt JB, Lanfranchi FF, Huber D, Tsao DY. Mice and primates use distinct strategies for visual segmentation. eLife 2023; 12:74394. [PMID: 36790170 PMCID: PMC9981152 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The rodent visual system has attracted great interest in recent years due to its experimental tractability, but the fundamental mechanisms used by the mouse to represent the visual world remain unclear. In the primate, researchers have argued from both behavioral and neural evidence that a key step in visual representation is 'figure-ground segmentation', the delineation of figures as distinct from backgrounds. To determine if mice also show behavioral and neural signatures of figure-ground segmentation, we trained mice on a figure-ground segmentation task where figures were defined by gratings and naturalistic textures moving counterphase to the background. Unlike primates, mice were severely limited in their ability to segment figure from ground using the opponent motion cue, with segmentation behavior strongly dependent on the specific carrier pattern. Remarkably, when mice were forced to localize naturalistic patterns defined by opponent motion, they adopted a strategy of brute force memorization of texture patterns. In contrast, primates, including humans, macaques, and mouse lemurs, could readily segment figures independent of carrier pattern using the opponent motion cue. Consistent with mouse behavior, neural responses to the same stimuli recorded in mouse visual areas V1, RL, and LM also did not support texture-invariant segmentation of figures using opponent motion. Modeling revealed that the texture dependence of both the mouse's behavior and neural responses could be explained by a feedforward neural network lacking explicit segmentation capabilities. These findings reveal a fundamental limitation in the ability of mice to segment visual objects compared to primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Luongo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Lu Liu
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Chun Lum Andy Ho
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Janis K Hesse
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
- Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
- University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Joseph B Wekselblatt
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Frank F Lanfranchi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
- Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
- University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Daniel Huber
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Doris Y Tsao
- University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBerkeleyUnited States
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28
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Horrocks EAB, Mareschal I, Saleem AB. Walking humans and running mice: perception and neural encoding of optic flow during self-motion. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210450. [PMID: 36511417 PMCID: PMC9745880 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion produces full-field optic flow that often dominates the visual motion inputs to an observer. The perception of optic flow is in turn important for animals to guide their heading and interact with moving objects. Understanding how locomotion influences optic flow processing and perception is therefore essential to understand how animals successfully interact with their environment. Here, we review research investigating how perception and neural encoding of optic flow are altered during self-motion, focusing on locomotion. Self-motion has been found to influence estimation and sensitivity for optic flow speed and direction. Nonvisual self-motion signals also increase compensation for self-driven optic flow when parsing the visual motion of moving objects. The integration of visual and nonvisual self-motion signals largely follows principles of Bayesian inference and can improve the precision and accuracy of self-motion perception. The calibration of visual and nonvisual self-motion signals is dynamic, reflecting the changing visuomotor contingencies across different environmental contexts. Throughout this review, we consider experimental research using humans, non-human primates and mice. We highlight experimental challenges and opportunities afforded by each of these species and draw parallels between experimental findings. These findings reveal a profound influence of locomotion on optic flow processing and perception across species. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'New approaches to 3D vision'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A. B. Horrocks
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Isabelle Mareschal
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Aman B. Saleem
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
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29
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Jost-Mousseau T, Chalabi M, Shulz DE, Férézou I. Imaging the brain in action: a motorized optical rotary joint for wide field fibroscopy in freely moving animals. NEUROPHOTONICS 2023; 10:015009. [PMID: 36970016 PMCID: PMC10037343 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.10.1.015009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE The study of neuronal processes governing behavior in awake behaving mice is constantly boosted by the development of technological strategies, such as miniaturized microscopes and closed-loop virtual reality systems. However, the former limits the quality of recorded signals due to constrains in size and weight and the latter suffers from the restriction of the movement repertoire of the animal, therefore, hardly reproducing the complexity of natural multisensory scenes. AIM Another strategy that takes advantage of both approaches consists of the use of a fiber-bundle interface to carry optical signals from a moving animal to a conventional imaging system. However, as the bundle is usually fixed below the optics, its torsion resulting from rotations of the animal inevitably constrains the behavior over long recordings. Our aim was to overcome this major limitation of fibroscopic imaging. APPROACH We developed a motorized optical rotary joint controlled by an inertial measurement unit at the animal's head. RESULTS We show its principle of operation, demonstrate its efficacy in a locomotion task, and propose several modes of operation for a wide range of experimental designs. CONCLUSIONS Combined with an optical rotary joint, fibroscopic approaches represent an outstanding tool to link neuronal activity with behavior in mice at the millisecond timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothé Jost-Mousseau
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
| | - Max Chalabi
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
| | - Daniel E. Shulz
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
| | - Isabelle Férézou
- Université Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), Saclay, France
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30
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Allen K, Gonzalez-Olvera R, Kumar M, Feng T, Pieraut S, Hoy JL. A binocular perception deficit characterizes prey pursuit in developing mice. iScience 2022; 25:105368. [PMID: 36339264 PMCID: PMC9626674 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Integration of binocular information at the cellular level has long been studied in the mouse model to uncover the fundamental developmental mechanisms underlying mammalian vision. However, we lack an understanding of the corresponding ontogeny of visual behavior in mice that relies on binocular integration. To address this major outstanding question, we quantified the natural visually guided behavior of postnatal day 21 (P21) and adult mice using a live prey capture assay and a computerized-spontaneous perception of objects task (C-SPOT). We found a robust and specific binocular visual field processing deficit in P21 mice as compared to adults that corresponded to a selective increase in c-Fos expression in the anterior superior colliculus (SC) of the juveniles after C-SPOT. These data link a specific binocular perception deficit in developing mice to activity changes in the SC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Allen
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | | | - Milen Kumar
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Ting Feng
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Simon Pieraut
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Hoy
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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31
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Groves Kuhnle C, Grimes M, Suárez Casanova VM, Turrigiano GG, Van Hooser SD. Juvenile Shank3 KO Mice Adopt Distinct Hunting Strategies during Prey Capture Learning. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0230-22.2022. [PMID: 36446569 PMCID: PMC9768843 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0230-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice are opportunistic omnivores that readily learn to hunt and eat insects such as crickets. The details of how mice learn these behaviors and how these behaviors may differ in strains with altered neuroplasticity are unclear. We quantified the behavior of juvenile wild-type (WT) and Shank3 knock-out (KO) mice as they learned to hunt crickets during the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity. This stage involves heightened cortical plasticity including homeostatic synaptic scaling, which requires Shank3, a glutamatergic synaptic protein that, when mutated, produces Phelan-McDermid syndrome and is often comorbid with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Both strains showed interest in examining live and dead crickets and learned to hunt. Shank3 knock-out mice took longer to become proficient, and, after 5 d, did not achieve the efficiency of wild-type mice in either time-to-capture or distance-to-capture. Shank3 knock-out mice also exhibited different characteristics when pursuing crickets that could not be explained by a simple motor deficit. Although both genotypes moved at the same average speed when approaching a cricket, Shank3 KO mice paused more often, did not begin final accelerations toward crickets as early, and did not close the distance gap to the cricket as quickly as wild-type mice. These differences in Shank3 KO mice are reminiscent of some behavioral characteristics of individuals with ASD as they perform complex tasks, such as slower action initiation and completion. This paradigm will be useful for exploring the neural circuit mechanisms that underlie these learning and performance differences in monogenic ASD rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Micaela Grimes
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453
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32
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Orlowska-Feuer P, Ebrahimi AS, Zippo AG, Petersen RS, Lucas RJ, Storchi R. Look-up and look-down neurons in the mouse visual thalamus during freely moving exploration. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3987-3999.e4. [PMID: 35973431 PMCID: PMC9616738 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Visual information reaches cortex via the thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). dLGN activity is modulated by global sleep/wake states and arousal, indicating that it is not simply a passive relay station. However, its potential for more specific visuomotor integration is largely unexplored. We addressed this question by developing robust 3D video reconstruction of mouse head and body during spontaneous exploration paired with simultaneous neuronal recordings from dLGN. Unbiased evaluation of a wide range of postures and movements revealed a widespread coupling between neuronal activity and few behavioral parameters. In particular, postures associated with the animal looking up/down correlated with activity in >50% neurons, and the extent of this effect was comparable with that induced by full-body movements (typically locomotion). By contrast, thalamic activity was minimally correlated with other postures or movements (e.g., left/right head and body torsions). Importantly, up/down postures and full-body movements were largely independent and jointly coupled to neuronal activity. Thus, although most units were excited during full-body movements, some expressed highest firing when the animal was looking up ("look-up" neurons), whereas others expressed highest firing when the animal was looking down ("look-down" neurons). These results were observed in the dark, thus representing a genuine behavioral modulation, and were amplified in a lit arena. Our results demonstrate that the primary visual thalamus, beyond global modulations by sleep/awake states, is potentially involved in specific visuomotor integration and reveal two distinct couplings between up/down postures and neuronal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Orlowska-Feuer
- University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Science, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Oxford Road, M139PL Manchester, UK
| | - Aghileh S Ebrahimi
- University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Science, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Oxford Road, M139PL Manchester, UK
| | - Antonio G Zippo
- Institute of Neuroscience, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Raoul Follereau, 3, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Rasmus S Petersen
- University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Science, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Oxford Road, M139PL Manchester, UK
| | - Robert J Lucas
- University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Science, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Oxford Road, M139PL Manchester, UK
| | - Riccardo Storchi
- University of Manchester, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Science, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Oxford Road, M139PL Manchester, UK.
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33
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Bonato J, Panzeri S. Neural coding: Looking up and down the visual thalamus. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R941-R943. [PMID: 36167039 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Integrating sensory and postural information is essential for perception and behavior. A new study shows that information about whether mice are looking up or down is combined with visual information in the primary visual thalamus, an early sensory stage of visual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Bonato
- Department of Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Department of Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
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34
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Strauss S, Korympidou MM, Ran Y, Franke K, Schubert T, Baden T, Berens P, Euler T, Vlasits AL. Center-surround interactions underlie bipolar cell motion sensitivity in the mouse retina. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5574. [PMID: 36163124 PMCID: PMC9513071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32762-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Motion sensing is a critical aspect of vision. We studied the representation of motion in mouse retinal bipolar cells and found that some bipolar cells are radially direction selective, preferring the origin of small object motion trajectories. Using a glutamate sensor, we directly observed bipolar cells synaptic output and found that there are radial direction selective and non-selective bipolar cell types, the majority being selective, and that radial direction selectivity relies on properties of the center-surround receptive field. We used these bipolar cell receptive fields along with connectomics to design biophysical models of downstream cells. The models and additional experiments demonstrated that bipolar cells pass radial direction selective excitation to starburst amacrine cells, which contributes to their directional tuning. As bipolar cells provide excitation to most amacrine and ganglion cells, their radial direction selectivity may contribute to motion processing throughout the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Strauss
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria M Korympidou
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yanli Ran
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Franke
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Timm Schubert
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tom Baden
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Philipp Berens
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Euler
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Anna L Vlasits
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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35
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Parker PRL, Abe ETT, Beatie NT, Leonard ESP, Martins DM, Sharp SL, Wyrick DG, Mazzucato L, Niell CM. Distance estimation from monocular cues in an ethological visuomotor task. eLife 2022; 11:e74708. [PMID: 36125119 PMCID: PMC9489205 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In natural contexts, sensory processing and motor output are closely coupled, which is reflected in the fact that many brain areas contain both sensory and movement signals. However, standard reductionist paradigms decouple sensory decisions from their natural motor consequences, and head-fixation prevents the natural sensory consequences of self-motion. In particular, movement through the environment provides a number of depth cues beyond stereo vision that are poorly understood. To study the integration of visual processing and motor output in a naturalistic task, we investigated distance estimation in freely moving mice. We found that mice use vision to accurately jump across a variable gap, thus directly coupling a visual computation to its corresponding ethological motor output. Monocular eyelid suture did not affect gap jumping success, thus mice can use cues that do not depend on binocular disparity and stereo vision. Under monocular conditions, mice altered their head positioning and performed more vertical head movements, consistent with a shift from using stereopsis to other monocular cues, such as motion or position parallax. Finally, optogenetic suppression of primary visual cortex impaired task performance under both binocular and monocular conditions when optical fiber placement was localized to binocular or monocular zone V1, respectively. Together, these results show that mice can use monocular cues, relying on visual cortex, to accurately judge distance. Furthermore, this behavioral paradigm provides a foundation for studying how neural circuits convert sensory information into ethological motor output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip RL Parker
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Elliott TT Abe
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Natalie T Beatie
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | | | - Dylan M Martins
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Shelby L Sharp
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - David G Wyrick
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Luca Mazzucato
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
- Department of Mathematics, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Cristopher M Niell
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
- Department of Biology, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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36
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Tan N, Shi J, Xu L, Zheng Y, Wang X, Lai N, Fang Z, Chen J, Wang Y, Chen Z. Lateral Hypothalamus Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II α Neurons Encode Novelty-Seeking Signals to Promote Predatory Eating. Research (Wash D C) 2022; 2022:9802382. [PMID: 36061821 PMCID: PMC9394055 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9802382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Predatory hunting is an innate appetite-driven and evolutionarily conserved behavior essential for animal survival, integrating sequential behaviors including searching, pursuit, attack, retrieval, and ultimately consumption. Nevertheless, neural circuits underlying hunting behavior with different features remain largely unexplored. Here, we deciphered a novel function of lateral hypothalamus (LH) calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II α (CaMKIIα+) neurons in hunting behavior and uncovered upstream/downstream circuit basis. LH CaMKIIα+ neurons bidirectionally modulate novelty-seeking behavior, predatory attack, and eating in hunting behavior. LH CaMKIIα+ neurons integrate hunting-related novelty-seeking information from the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and project to the ventral periaqueductal gray (vPAG) to promote predatory eating. Our results demonstrate that LH CaMKIIα+ neurons are the key hub that integrate MPOA-conveyed novelty-seeking signals and encode predatory eating in hunting behavior, which enriched the neuronal substrate of hunting behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Tan
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiaying Shi
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingyu Xu
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanrong Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xia Wang
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Nanxi Lai
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhuowen Fang
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jialu Chen
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
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37
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Ngo V, Gorman JC, De la Fuente MF, Souto A, Schiel N, Miller CT. Active vision during prey capture in wild marmoset monkeys. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3423-3428.e3. [PMID: 35750054 PMCID: PMC10203885 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
A foundational pressure in the evolution of all animals is the ability to travel through the world, inherently coupling the sensory and motor systems. While this relationship has been explored in several species,1-4 it has been largely overlooked in primates, which have typically relied on paradigms in which head-restrained subjects view stimuli on screens.5 Natural visual behaviors, by contrast, are typified by locomotion through the environment guided by active sensing as animals explore and interact with the world,4,6 a relationship well illustrated by prey capture.7-12 Here, we characterized prey capture in wild marmoset monkeys as they negotiated their dynamic, arboreal habitat to illustrate the inherent role of vision as an active process in natural nonhuman primate behavior. Not only do marmosets share the core properties of vision that typify the primate Order,13-18 but they are prolific hunters that prey on a diverse set of prey animals.19-22 Marmosets pursued prey using vision in several different contexts, but executed precise visually guided motor control that predominantly involved grasping with hands for successful capture of prey. Applying markerless tracking for the first time in wild primates yielded novel findings that precisely quantified how marmosets track insects prior to initiating an attack and the rapid visually guided corrections of the hands during capture. These findings offer the first detailed insight into the active nature of vision to guide multiple facets of a natural goal-directed behavior in wild primates and can inform future laboratory studies of natural primate visual behaviors and the supporting neural processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Ngo
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
| | - Julia C Gorman
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
| | - María Fernanda De la Fuente
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58429-500, Brazil; Laboratório de Etologia Teórica e Aplicada, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Antonio Souto
- Laboratório de Etologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Nicola Schiel
- Laboratório de Etologia Teórica e Aplicada, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Cory T Miller
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA.
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38
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Juvenile depletion of microglia reduces orientation but not high spatial frequency selectivity in mouse V1. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12779. [PMID: 35896554 PMCID: PMC9329297 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15503-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia contain multiple mechanisms that shape the synaptic landscape during postnatal development. Whether the synaptic changes mediated by microglia reflect the developmental refinement of neuronal responses in sensory cortices, however, remains poorly understood. In postnatal life, the development of increased orientation and spatial frequency selectivity of neuronal responses in primary visual cortex (V1) supports the emergence of high visual acuity. Here, we used the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor PLX5622 to rapidly and durably deplete microglia in mice during the juvenile period in which increased orientation and spatial frequency selectivity emerge. Excitatory and inhibitory tuning properties were measured simultaneously using multi-photon calcium imaging in layer II/III of mouse V1. We found that microglia depletion generally increased evoked activity which, in turn, reduced orientation selectivity. Surprisingly, microglia were not required for the emergence of high spatial frequency tuned responses. In addition, microglia depletion did not perturb cortical binocularity, suggesting normal depth processing. Together, our finding that orientation and high spatial frequency selectivity in V1 are differentially supported by microglia reveal that microglia are required normal sensory processing, albeit selectively.
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39
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Mazzucato L. Neural mechanisms underlying the temporal organization of naturalistic animal behavior. eLife 2022; 11:e76577. [PMID: 35792884 PMCID: PMC9259028 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Naturalistic animal behavior exhibits a strikingly complex organization in the temporal domain, with variability arising from at least three sources: hierarchical, contextual, and stochastic. What neural mechanisms and computational principles underlie such intricate temporal features? In this review, we provide a critical assessment of the existing behavioral and neurophysiological evidence for these sources of temporal variability in naturalistic behavior. Recent research converges on an emergent mechanistic theory of temporal variability based on attractor neural networks and metastable dynamics, arising via coordinated interactions between mesoscopic neural circuits. We highlight the crucial role played by structural heterogeneities as well as noise from mesoscopic feedback loops in regulating flexible behavior. We assess the shortcomings and missing links in the current theoretical and experimental literature and propose new directions of investigation to fill these gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mazzucato
- Institute of Neuroscience, Departments of Biology, Mathematics and Physics, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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40
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Diversity of spatiotemporal coding reveals specialized visual processing streams in the mouse cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3249. [PMID: 35668056 PMCID: PMC9170684 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29656-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebral cortex contains diverse neural representations of the visual scene, each enabling distinct visual and spatial abilities. However, the extent to which representations are distributed or segregated across cortical areas remains poorly understood. By determining the spatial and temporal responses of >30,000 layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, we characterize the functional organization of parallel visual streams across eight areas of the mouse cortex. While dorsal and ventral areas form complementary representations of spatiotemporal frequency, motion speed, and spatial patterns, the anterior and posterior dorsal areas show distinct specializations for fast and slow oriented contrasts. At the cellular level, while diverse spatiotemporal tuning lies along a continuum, oriented and non-oriented spatial patterns are encoded by distinct tuning types. The identified tuning types are present across dorsal and ventral streams. The data underscore the highly specific and highly distributed nature of visual cortical representations, which drives specialization of cortical areas and streams. The cerebral cortex contains different neural representations of the visual scene. Here, the authors show diverse and stereotyped tuning composing specialized representations in the dorsal and ventral areas of the mouse visual cortex, suggesting parallel processing channels and streams.
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41
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Meister M. Learning, fast and slow. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 75:102555. [PMID: 35617751 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Animals can learn efficiently from a single experience and change their future behavior in response. However, in other instances, animals learn very slowly, requiring thousands of experiences. Here, I survey tasks involving fast and slow learning and consider some hypotheses for what differentiates the underlying neural mechanisms. It has been proposed that fast learning relies on neural representations that favor efficient Hebbian modification of synapses. These efficient representations may be encoded in the genome, resulting in a repertoire of fast learning that differs across species. Alternatively, the required neural representations may be acquired from experience through a slow process of unsupervised learning from the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Meister
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, United States.
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42
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Tangential high-density electrode insertions allow to simultaneously measure neuronal activity across an extended region of the visual field in mouse superior colliculus. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 376:109622. [PMID: 35525463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The superior colliculus (SC) is a midbrain structure that plays a central role in visual processing. Although we have learned a considerable amount about the function of single SC neurons, the way in which sensory information is represented and processed on the population level in awake behaving animals and across a large region of the retinotopic map is still largely unknown. Partially because the SC is anatomically located below the cortical sheet and the transverse sinus, which render the measure of neuronal activity from a large population of neurons in the SC technically difficult to perform. NEW METHOD To address this, we propose a tangential recording configuration using high-density electrode probes (Neuropixels) in mouse SC in vivo. This method permits a large number of recording sites (~200) inside the SC circuitry allowing to record from a large population of SC neurons along a vast area of retinotopic space. RESULTS This approach provides a unique opportunity to measure the activity of SC neuronal populations over up to ~2mm of SC tissue reporting for the first time the continuous receptive fields coverage of almost the entire SC retinotopy. Here we describe how to perform targeted tangential recordings along the anterior-posterior and the medio-lateral axis of the mouse SC in vivo in the upper visual layers. Furthermore, we describe how to combine this approach with optogenetic tools for cell-type identification on the population level. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Vertical insertion has been a standard way to record visual responses in the SC. Inserting multi-shank probes vertically allows to cover a larger region of the SC but misses both the complete extent of the available retinotopy and the continuous measure allowed by the high density of recording sites on Neuropixels probes. CONCLUSION Altogether tangential insertions in the upper visual layers of the mouse SC using Neuropixels permit for the first time to access a majority of the retinotopically organized visual representation of the world at an unprecedented precision.
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Wheatcroft T, Saleem AB, Solomon SG. Functional Organisation of the Mouse Superior Colliculus. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:792959. [PMID: 35601532 PMCID: PMC9118347 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.792959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a highly conserved area of the mammalian midbrain that is widely implicated in the organisation and control of behaviour. SC receives input from a large number of brain areas, and provides outputs to a large number of areas. The convergence and divergence of anatomical connections with different areas and systems provides challenges for understanding how SC contributes to behaviour. Recent work in mouse has provided large anatomical datasets, and a wealth of new data from experiments that identify and manipulate different cells within SC, and their inputs and outputs, during simple behaviours. These data offer an opportunity to better understand the roles that SC plays in these behaviours. However, some of the observations appear, at first sight, to be contradictory. Here we review this recent work and hypothesise a simple framework which can capture the observations, that requires only a small change to previous models. Specifically, the functional organisation of SC can be explained by supposing that three largely distinct circuits support three largely distinct classes of simple behaviours-arrest, turning towards, and the triggering of escape or capture. These behaviours are hypothesised to be supported by the optic, intermediate and deep layers, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samuel G. Solomon
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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44
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Tan L, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT. The Development of Receptive Field Tuning Properties in Mouse Binocular Primary Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3546-3556. [PMID: 35296547 PMCID: PMC9053846 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1702-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse primary visual cortex is a model system for understanding the relationship between cortical structure, function, and behavior (Seabrook et al., 2017; Chaplin and Margrie, 2020; Hooks and Chen, 2020; Saleem, 2020; Flossmann and Rochefort, 2021). Binocular neurons in V1 are the cellular basis of binocular vision, which is required for predation (Scholl et al., 2013; Hoy et al., 2016; La Chioma et al., 2020; Berson, 2021; Johnson et al., 2021). The normal development of binocular responses, however, has not been systematically measured. Here, we measure tuning properties of neurons to either eye in awake mice of either sex from eye opening to the closure of the critical period. At eye opening, we find an adult-like fraction of neurons responding to the contralateral-eye stimulation, which are selective for orientation and spatial frequency; few neurons respond to ipsilateral eye, and their tuning is immature. Fraction of ipsilateral-eye responses increases rapidly in the first few days after eye opening and more slowly thereafter, reaching adult levels by critical period closure. Tuning of these responses improves with a similar time course. The development and tuning of binocular responses parallel that of ipsilateral-eye responses. Four days after eye opening, monocular neurons respond to a full range of orientations but become more biased to cardinal orientations. Binocular responses, by contrast, lose their cardinal bias with age. Together, these data provide an in-depth accounting of the development of monocular and binocular responses in the binocular region of mouse V1 using a consistent set of visual stimuli and measurements.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this manuscript, we present a full accounting of the emergence and refinement of monocular and binocular receptive field tuning properties of thousands of pyramidal neurons in mouse primary visual cortex. Our data reveal new features of monocular and binocular development that revise current models on the emergence of cortical binocularity. Given the recent interest in visually guided behaviors in mice that require binocular vision (e.g., predation), our measures will provide the basis for studies on the emergence of the neural circuitry guiding these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Tan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Dario L Ringach
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Joshua T Trachtenberg
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
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45
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Russell AL, Dixon KG, Triplett JW. Diverse modes of binocular interactions in the mouse superior colliculus. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:913-927. [PMID: 35294270 PMCID: PMC9076413 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00526.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) integrates visual and other sensory information to regulate critical reflexive and innate behaviors, such as prey capture. In the mouse, the vast majority of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) innervate the SC, including inputs from both the contralateral (contra-RGCs) and ipsilateral (ipsi-RGCs) eye. Despite this, previous studies revealed minimal neuronal responses to ipsilateral stimulation and few binocular interactions in the mouse SC. More recent work suggests that ipsi-RGC function and innervation of the SC are critical for efficient prey capture, raising the possibility that binocular interactions in the mouse SC may be more prevalent than previously thought. To explore this possibility, we investigated eye-specific and binocular influences on visual responses and tuning of SC neurons, focusing on the anteromedial region. Although the majority of SC neurons were primarily driven by contralateral eye stimulation, we observed that a substantial proportion of units were influenced or driven by ipsilateral stimulation. Clustering based on differential responses to eye-specific stimulus presentation revealed five distinct putative subpopulations and multiple modes of binocular interaction, including facilitation, summation, and suppression. Each of the putative subpopulations exhibited selectivity for orientation, and differences in spatial frequency tuning and spatial summation properties were observed between subpopulations. Further analysis of orientation tuning under different ocular conditions supported differential modes of binocular interaction between putative subtypes. Taken together, these data suggest that binocular interactions in the mouse SC may be more prevalent and diverse than previously understood.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The mouse superior colliculus (SC) receives binocular inputs, which inform complex behavioral programs. However, we know surprisingly little about binocular tuning in the rodent SC. Here, we characterize responses to eye-specific presentations of visual stimuli and reveal a previously unappreciated diversity of binocularly modulated neurons in the SC. This foundational work broadens our understanding of visual processing in the SC and sets the stage for future studies interrogating the circuit mechanisms underlying binocular tuning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Russell
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Research Institute, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Karen G Dixon
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Research Institute, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Jason W Triplett
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Research Institute, Washington, District of Columbia
- Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia
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46
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Alexander AS, Tung JC, Chapman GW, Conner AM, Shelley LE, Hasselmo ME, Nitz DA. Adaptive integration of self-motion and goals in posterior parietal cortex. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110504. [PMID: 35263604 PMCID: PMC9026715 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rats readily switch between foraging and more complex navigational behaviors such as pursuit of other rats or prey. These tasks require vastly different tracking of multiple behaviorally significant variables including self-motion state. To explore whether navigational context modulates self-motion tracking, we examined self-motion tuning in posterior parietal cortex neurons during foraging versus visual target pursuit. Animals performing the pursuit task demonstrate predictive processing of target trajectories by anticipating and intercepting them. Relative to foraging, pursuit yields multiplicative gain modulation of self-motion tuning and enhances self-motion state decoding. Self-motion sensitivity in parietal cortex neurons is, on average, history dependent regardless of behavioral context, but the temporal window of self-motion integration extends during target pursuit. Finally, many self-motion-sensitive neurons conjunctively track the visual target position relative to the animal. Thus, posterior parietal cortex functions to integrate the location of navigationally relevant target stimuli into an ongoing representation of past, present, and future locomotor trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Alexander
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Janet C Tung
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - G William Chapman
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Allison M Conner
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Laura E Shelley
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Douglas A Nitz
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Neural circuit control of innate behaviors. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:466-499. [PMID: 34985643 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All animals possess a plethora of innate behaviors that do not require extensive learning and are fundamental for their survival and propagation. With the advent of newly-developed techniques such as viral tracing and optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, recent studies are gradually unraveling neural circuits underlying different innate behaviors. Here, we summarize current development in our understanding of the neural circuits controlling predation, feeding, male-typical mating, and urination, highlighting the role of genetically defined neurons and their connections in sensory triggering, sensory to motor/motivation transformation, motor/motivation encoding during these different behaviors. Along the way, we discuss possible mechanisms underlying binge-eating disorder and the pro-social effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, elucidating the clinical relevance of studying neural circuits underlying essential innate functions. Finally, we discuss some exciting brain structures recurrently appearing in the regulation of different behaviors, which suggests both divergence and convergence in the neural encoding of specific innate behaviors. Going forward, we emphasize the importance of multi-angle and cross-species dissections in delineating neural circuits that control innate behaviors.
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48
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Faulkner AD, Burgess CR. Metabolic demands, sensory deficits: Tradeoffs in times of scarcity. Neuron 2022; 110:183-184. [PMID: 35051362 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The brain requires a lot of energy to carry out its functions at peak performance. In times of energy deficit, something has to give. In this issue of Neuron, Padamsey et al. (2021) explore how metabolic demands impact cortical coding by demonstrating the effects of food restriction on visual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa D Faulkner
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Molecular and Integrative Physiology Department, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Christian R Burgess
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Molecular and Integrative Physiology Department, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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49
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Flexibility and rigidity in hunting behaviour in rodents: is there room for cognition? Anim Cogn 2022; 25:731-743. [PMID: 34993671 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01588-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Predatory hunting is a complex species-typical behaviour involving different skills, some of which may include learning. This research aims to distinguish between rigid and flexible parts in live-insect hunting behaviour in nine herbivorous and granivorous rodent species, and to find out whether there is room for cognition in this activity. In laboratory experiments, all species studied manifest skilful attacks towards insects in a manner that is typical for specialised predators chasing a fleeing prey. Voles demonstrate a "core" and somewhat primitive scheme of a hunting pattern: approaching a potential victim, biting it, and then seizing and handling. Hamsters display the tendency to start their attacks by actions with paws, but they can achieve success only using teeth as well. Gerbils can successfully use both paws and teeth to start the attack, which brings their hunting behaviour closer to that of specialised rodent predators. We revealed variability in the display of hunting in different species, methods of seizing the prey, and the number of attempts to attack an insect before catching it. We found specific flexible fragments within the "bite-grasp-handle" bouts that can be precursors for adaptive phenotypic variations and include some cognitive attributes. We hypothesise that the divergence and specialisation of predatory behaviour in rodents can be based on the natural fragmentation of the original hunting patterns, that is, on the loss or recombination of particular behavioural elements. We consider a possible link between the fragmentation of hunting behaviour and social learning in different classes of animals and conjecture an intriguing correlation between predatory activity, cognitive skills and personal traits in rodents.
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Goldstein S, Wang L, McAlonan K, Torres-Cruz M, Krauzlis RJ. Stimulus-driven visual attention in mice. J Vis 2022; 22:11. [PMID: 35044435 PMCID: PMC8787543 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.1.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In primates, stimulus-driven changes in visual attention can facilitate or hinder perceptual performance, depending on the location and timing of the stimulus event. Mice have emerged as a powerful model for studying visual circuits and behavior; however, it is unclear whether mice show similar interactions between stimulus events and visual attention during perceptual decisions. To investigate this, we trained head-fixed mice to detect a near-threshold change in visual orientation and tested how performance was altered by task-irrelevant stimuli that occurred at different times and locations with respect to the orientation change. We found that task-irrelevant stimuli strongly affected mouse performance. Specifically, stimulus-driven attention in mice followed a similar time course as that in other species: The decreases in reaction times fully emerged between 250 and 400 ms after the stimulus event, and detection accuracy was not affected. However, the effects of stimulus-driven attention on behavior in mice were insensitive to stimulus-event location, an aspect different from what is known in primates. In contrast, reaction times in mice were reduced at longer delays after the task-irrelevant stimulus event regardless of its spatial congruence to the target. These results highlight the strengths and limitations of using mice as a model for studying higher-order visual functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheridan Goldstein
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lupeng Wang
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kerry McAlonan
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mateus Torres-Cruz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Laboratory for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7571-0072
| | - Richard J Krauzlis
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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