1
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Ugolini G, Graf W. Pathways from the superior colliculus and the nucleus of the optic tract to the posterior parietal cortex in macaque monkeys: Functional frameworks for representation updating and online movement guidance. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2792-2825. [PMID: 38544445 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16314] [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: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) integrates multisensory and motor-related information for generating and updating body representations and movement plans. We used retrograde transneuronal transfer of rabies virus combined with a conventional tracer in macaque monkeys to identify direct and disynaptic pathways to the arm-related rostral medial intraparietal area (MIP), the ventral lateral intraparietal area (LIPv), belonging to the parietal eye field, and the pursuit-related lateral subdivision of the medial superior temporal area (MSTl). We found that these areas receive major disynaptic pathways via the thalamus from the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) and the superior colliculus (SC), mainly ipsilaterally. NOT pathways, targeting MSTl most prominently, serve to process the sensory consequences of slow eye movements for which the NOT is the key sensorimotor interface. They potentially contribute to the directional asymmetry of the pursuit and optokinetic systems. MSTl and LIPv receive feedforward inputs from SC visual layers, which are potential correlates for fast detection of motion, perceptual saccadic suppression and visual spatial attention. MSTl is the target of efference copy pathways from saccade- and head-related compartments of SC motor layers and head-related reticulospinal neurons. They are potential sources of extraretinal signals related to eye and head movement in MSTl visual-tracking neurons. LIPv and rostral MIP receive efference copy pathways from all SC motor layers, providing online estimates of eye, head and arm movements. Our findings have important implications for understanding the role of the PPC in representation updating, internal models for online movement guidance, eye-hand coordination and optic ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Ugolini
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), UMR9197 CNRS - Université Paris-Saclay, Campus CEA Saclay, Saclay, France
| | - Werner Graf
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
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2
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Niu M, Palomero-Gallagher N. Architecture and connectivity of the human angular gyrus and of its homolog region in the macaque brain. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:47-61. [PMID: 35695934 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02509-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The angular gyrus roughly corresponds to Brodmann's area 39, which is a multimodal association brain region located in the posterior apex of the human inferior parietal lobe, at its interface with the temporal and occipital lobes. It encompasses two cyto- and receptor architectonically distinct areas: caudal PGp and rostral PGa. The macaque brain does not present an angular gyrus in the strict sense, and the establishment of homologies was further hindered by the fact that Brodmann defined a single cytoarchitectonic area covering the entire guenon inferior parietal lobule in the monkey brain, i.e. area 7. Latter architectonic studies revealed the existence of 6 architectonically distinct areas within macaque area 7, further connectivity and functional imaging studies supported the hypothesis that the most posterior of these macaque areas, namely Opt and PG, may constitute the homologs of human areas PGp and PGa, respectively. The present review provides an overview of the cyto-, myelo and receptor architecture of human areas PGp and PGa, as well as of their counterparts in the macaque brain, and summarizes current knowledge on the connectivity of these brain areas. Finally, the present study elaborates on the rationale behind the definition of these homologies and their importance in translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Niu
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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3
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Topographic organization of eye-position dependent gain fields in human visual cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7925. [PMID: 36564372 PMCID: PMC9789150 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35488-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to move has introduced animals with the problem of sensory ambiguity: the position of an external stimulus could change over time because the stimulus moved, or because the animal moved its receptors. This ambiguity can be resolved with a change in neural response gain as a function of receptor orientation. Here, we developed an encoding model to capture gain modulation of visual responses in high field (7 T) fMRI data. We characterized population eye-position dependent gain fields (pEGF). The information contained in the pEGFs allowed us to reconstruct eye positions over time across the visual hierarchy. We discovered a systematic distribution of pEGF centers: pEGF centers shift from contra- to ipsilateral following pRF eccentricity. Such a topographical organization suggests that signals beyond pure retinotopy are accessible early in the visual hierarchy, providing the potential to solve sensory ambiguity and optimize sensory processing information for functionally relevant behavior.
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4
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Wen M, Dong Z, Zhang L, Li B, Zhang Y, Li K. Depression and Cognitive Impairment: Current Understanding of Its Neurobiology and Diagnosis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022; 18:2783-2794. [PMID: 36471744 PMCID: PMC9719265 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s383093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eye movement is critical for obtaining precise visual information and providing sensorimotor processes and advanced cognitive functions to the brain behavioral indicator. METHODS In this article, we present a narrative review of the eye-movement paradigms (such as fixation, smooth pursuit eye movements, and memory-guided saccade tasks) in major depression. RESULTS Characteristics of eye movement are considered to reflect several aspects of cognitive deficits regarded as an aid to diagnosis. Findings regarding depressive disorders showed differences from the healthy population in paradigms, the characteristics of eye movement may reflect cognitive deficits in depression. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of different eye movement paradigms for MDD screening. CONCLUSION Depression can be distinguished from other mental illnesses based on eye movements. Eye movement reflects cognitive deficits that can help diagnose depression, and it can make the entire diagnostic process more accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wen
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Dong
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Lili Zhang
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Bing Li
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunshu Zhang
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
| | - Keqing Li
- Hebei Provincial Mental Health Center, Baoding, People's Republic of China.,Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Mental and Behavioral Disorders, Baoding, People's Republic of China
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5
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Niu M, Rapan L, Funck T, Froudist-Walsh S, Zhao L, Zilles K, Palomero-Gallagher N. Organization of the macaque monkey inferior parietal lobule based on multimodal receptor architectonics. Neuroimage 2021; 231:117843. [PMID: 33577936 PMCID: PMC8188735 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The macaque monkey inferior parietal lobe (IPL) is a structurally heterogeneous brain region, although the number of areas it contains and the anatomical/functional relationship of identified subdivisions remains controversial. Neurotransmitter receptor distribution patterns not only reveal the position of the cortical borders, but also segregate areas associated to different functional systems. Thus we carried out a multimodal quantitative analysis of the cyto- and receptor architecture of the macaque IPL to determine the number and extent of distinct areas it encompasses. We identified four areas on the IPL convexity arranged in a caudo-rostral sequence, as well as two areas in the parietal operculum, which we projected onto the Yerkes19 surface. We found rostral areas to have relatively smaller receptor fingerprints than the caudal ones, which is in an agreement with the functional gradient along the caudo-rostral axis described in previous studies. The hierarchical analysis segregated IPL areas into two clusters: the caudal one, contains areas involved in multisensory integration and visual-motor functions, and rostral cluster, encompasses areas active during motor planning and action-related functions. The results of the present study provide novel insights into clarifying the homologies between human and macaque IPL areas. The ensuing 3D map of the macaque IPL, and the receptor fingerprints are made publicly available to the neuroscientific community via the Human Brain Project and BALSA repositories for future cyto- and/or receptor architectonically driven analyses of functional imaging studies in non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Niu
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Lucija Rapan
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Thomas Funck
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | | | - Ling Zhao
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Karl Zilles
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; C. & O. Vogt Institute of Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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6
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Ryan JD, Shen K, Kacollja A, Tian H, Griffiths J, Bezgin G, McIntosh AR. Modeling the influence of the hippocampal memory system on the oculomotor system. Netw Neurosci 2020; 4:217-233. [PMID: 32166209 PMCID: PMC7055646 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual exploration is related to activity in the hippocampus (HC) and/or extended medial temporal lobe system (MTL), is influenced by stored memories, and is altered in amnesic cases. An extensive set of polysynaptic connections exists both within and between the HC and oculomotor systems such that investigating how HC responses ultimately influence neural activity in the oculomotor system, and the timing by which such neural modulation could occur, is not trivial. We leveraged TheVirtualBrain, a software platform for large-scale network simulations, to model the functional dynamics that govern the interactions between the two systems in the macaque cortex. Evoked responses following the stimulation of the MTL and some, but not all, subfields of the HC resulted in observable responses in oculomotor regions, including the frontal eye fields, within the time of a gaze fixation. Modeled lesions to some MTL regions slowed the dissipation of HC signal to oculomotor regions, whereas HC lesions generally did not affect the rapid MTL activity propagation to oculomotor regions. These findings provide a framework for investigating how information represented by the HC/MTL may influence the oculomotor system during a fixation and predict how HC lesions may affect visual exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Ryan
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kelly Shen
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arber Kacollja
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Heather Tian
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - John Griffiths
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gleb Bezgin
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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7
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Murdison TS, Blohm G, Bremmer F. Saccade-induced changes in ocular torsion reveal predictive orientation perception. J Vis 2020; 19:10. [PMID: 31533148 DOI: 10.1167/19.11.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural orienting of gaze often results in a retinal image that is rotated relative to space due to ocular torsion. However, we perceive neither this rotation nor a moving world despite visual rotational motion on the retina. This perceptual stability is often attributed to the phenomenon known as predictive remapping, but the current remapping literature ignores this torsional component. In addition, studies often simply measure remapping across either space or features (e.g., orientation) but in natural circumstances, both components are bound together for stable perception. One natural circumstance in which the perceptual system must account for the current and future eye orientation to correctly interpret the orientation of external stimuli occurs during movements to or from oblique eye orientations (i.e., eye orientations with both a horizontal and vertical angular component relative to the primary position). Here we took advantage of oblique eye orientation-induced ocular torsion to examine perisaccadic orientation perception. First, we found that orientation perception was largely predicted by the rotated retinal image. Second, we observed a presaccadic remapping of orientation perception consistent with maintaining a stable (but spatially inaccurate) retinocentric perception throughout the saccade. These findings strongly suggest that our seamless perceptual stability relies on retinocentric signals that are predictively remapped in all three ocular dimensions with each saccade.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Scott Murdison
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.,Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Association for Canadian Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN), Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gunnar Blohm
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.,Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Association for Canadian Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN), Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Frank Bremmer
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
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8
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Schneider L, Dominguez-Vargas AU, Gibson L, Kagan I, Wilke M. Eye position signals in the dorsal pulvinar during fixation and goal-directed saccades. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:367-391. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00432.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor cortical areas contain eye position information thought to ensure perceptual stability across saccades and underlie spatial transformations supporting goal-directed actions. One pathway by which eye position signals could be relayed to and across cortical areas is via the dorsal pulvinar. Several studies have demonstrated saccade-related activity in the dorsal pulvinar, and we have recently shown that many neurons exhibit postsaccadic spatial preference. In addition, dorsal pulvinar lesions lead to gaze-holding deficits expressed as nystagmus or ipsilesional gaze bias, prompting us to investigate the effects of eye position. We tested three starting eye positions (−15°, 0°, 15°) in monkeys performing a visually cued memory saccade task. We found two main types of gaze dependence. First, ~50% of neurons showed dependence on static gaze direction during initial and postsaccadic fixation, and might be signaling the position of the eyes in the orbit or coding foveal targets in a head/body/world-centered reference frame. The population-derived eye position signal lagged behind the saccade. Second, many neurons showed a combination of eye-centered and gaze-dependent modulation of visual, memory, and saccadic responses to a peripheral target. A small subset showed effects consistent with eye position-dependent gain modulation. Analysis of reference frames across task epochs from visual cue to postsaccadic fixation indicated a transition from predominantly eye-centered encoding to representation of final gaze or foveated locations in nonretinocentric coordinates. These results show that dorsal pulvinar neurons carry information about eye position, which could contribute to steady gaze during postural changes and to reference frame transformations for visually guided eye and limb movements. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Work on the pulvinar focused on eye-centered visuospatial representations, but position of the eyes in the orbit is also an important factor that needs to be taken into account during spatial orienting and goal-directed reaching. We show that dorsal pulvinar neurons are influenced by eye position. Gaze direction modulated ongoing firing during stable fixation, as well as visual and saccade responses to peripheral targets, suggesting involvement of the dorsal pulvinar in spatial coordinate transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schneider
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Adan-Ulises Dominguez-Vargas
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad-León, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Lydia Gibson
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Igor Kagan
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Melanie Wilke
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Goettingen, Germany
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9
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Churan J, Braun DI, Gegenfurtner KR, Bremmer F. Comparison of the precision of smooth pursuit in humans and head unrestrained monkeys. J Eye Mov Res 2018; 11. [PMID: 33828708 PMCID: PMC7904314 DOI: 10.16910/jemr.11.4.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct comparison of results of humans and monkeys is often complicated by differences in experimental conditions. We replicated in head unrestrained macaques experiments of a recent study comparing human directional precision during smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) and saccades to moving targets (Braun & Gegenfurtner, 2016). Directional precision of human SPEM follows an exponential decay function reaching optimal values of 1.5°-3° within 300 ms after target motion onset, whereas precision of initial saccades to moving targets is slightly better. As in humans, we found general agreement in the devel-opment of directional precision of SPEM over time and in the differences between direc-tional precision of initial saccades and SPEM initiation. However, monkeys showed over-all lower precision in SPEM compared to humans. This was most likely due to differences in experimental conditions, such as in the stabilization of the head, which was by a chin and a head rest in human subjects and unrestrained in monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Churan
- University of Marburg & CMBB, Marburg, Germany
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10
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Yang L, Gu Y. Distinct spatial coordinate of visual and vestibular heading signals in macaque FEFsem and MSTd. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 29134944 PMCID: PMC5685470 DOI: 10.7554/elife.29809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Precise heading estimate requires integration of visual optic flow and vestibular inertial motion originating from distinct spatial coordinates (eye- and head-centered, respectively). To explore whether the two heading signals may share a common reference frame along the hierarchy of cortical stages, we explored two multisensory areas in macaques: the smooth pursuit area of the frontal eye field (FEFsem) closer to the motor side, and the dorsal portion of medial superior temporal area (MSTd) closer to the sensory side. In both areas, vestibular signals are head-centered, whereas visual signals are mainly eye-centered. However, visual signals in FEFsem are more shifted towards the head coordinate compared to MSTd. These results are robust being largely independent on: (1) smooth pursuit eye movement, (2) motion parallax cue, and (3) behavioral context for active heading estimation, indicating that the visual and vestibular heading signals may be represented in distinct spatial coordinate in sensory cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Yang
- Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Gu
- Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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11
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A Subconscious Interaction between Fixation and Anticipatory Pursuit. J Neurosci 2017; 37:11424-11430. [PMID: 29061701 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2186-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocular smooth pursuit and fixation are typically viewed as separate systems, yet there is evidence that the brainstem fixation system inhibits pursuit. Here we present behavioral evidence that the fixation system modulates pursuit behavior outside of conscious awareness. Human observers (male and female) either pursued a small spot that translated across a screen, or fixated it as it remained stationary. As shown previously, pursuit trials potentiated the oculomotor system, producing anticipatory eye velocity on the next trial before the target moved that mimicked the stimulus-driven velocity. Randomly interleaving fixation trials reduced anticipatory pursuit, suggesting that a potentiated fixation system interacted with pursuit to suppress eye velocity in upcoming pursuit trials. The reduction was not due to passive decay of the potentiated pursuit signal because interleaving "blank" trials in which no target appeared did not reduce anticipatory pursuit. Interspersed short fixation trials reduced anticipation on long pursuit trials, suggesting that fixation potentiation was stronger than pursuit potentiation. Furthermore, adding more pursuit trials to a block did not restore anticipatory pursuit, suggesting that fixation potentiation was not overridden by certainty of an imminent pursuit trial but rather was immune to conscious intervention. To directly test whether cognition can override fixation suppression, we alternated pursuit and fixation trials to perfectly specify trial identity. Still, anticipatory pursuit did not rise above that observed with an equal number of random fixation trials. The results suggest that potentiated fixation circuitry interacts with pursuit circuitry at a subconscious level to inhibit pursuit.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT When an object moves, we view it with smooth pursuit eye movements. When an object is stationary, we view it with fixational eye movements. Pursuit and fixation are historically regarded as controlled by different neural circuitry, and alternating between invoking them is thought to be guided by a conscious decision. However, our results show that pursuit is actively suppressed by prior fixation of a stationary object. This suppression is involuntary, and cannot be avoided even if observers are certain that the object will move. The results suggest that the neural fixation circuitry is potentiated by engaging stationary objects, and interacts with pursuit outside of conscious awareness.
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12
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Ziesche A, Bergelt J, Deubel H, Hamker FH. Pre- and post-saccadic stimulus timing in saccadic suppression of displacement – A computational model. Vision Res 2017; 138:1-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2017.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- M. W. Spratling
- Department of Informatics, King's College London, London, UK
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14
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Kastner S, Chen Q, Jeong SK, Mruczek REB. A brief comparative review of primate posterior parietal cortex: A novel hypothesis on the human toolmaker. Neuropsychologia 2017; 105:123-134. [PMID: 28159617 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The primate visual system contains two major cortical pathways: a ventral-temporal pathway that has been associated with object processing and recognition, and a dorsal-parietal pathway that has been associated with spatial processing and action guidance. Our understanding of the role of the dorsal pathway, in particular, has greatly evolved within the framework of the two-pathway hypothesis since its original conception. Here, we present a comparative review of the primate dorsal pathway in humans and monkeys based on electrophysiological, neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and neuroanatomical studies. We consider similarities and differences across species in terms of the topographic representation of visual space; specificity for eye, reaching, or grasping movements; multi-modal response properties; and the representation of objects and tools. We also review the relative anatomical location of functionally- and topographically-defined regions of the posterior parietal cortex. An emerging theme from this comparative analysis is that non-spatial information is represented to a greater degree, and with increased complexity, in the human dorsal visual system. We propose that non-spatial information in the primate parietal cortex contributes to the perception-to-action system aimed at manipulating objects in peripersonal space. In humans, this network has expanded in multiple ways, including the development of a dorsal object vision system mirroring the complexity of the ventral stream, the integration of object information with parietal working memory systems, and the emergence of tool-specific object representations in the anterior intraparietal sulcus and regions of the inferior parietal lobe. We propose that these evolutionary changes have enabled the emergence of human-specific behaviors, such as the sophisticated use of tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Kastner
- Department of Psychology, USA; Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Q Chen
- Department of Psychology, USA; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - S K Jeong
- Department of Psychology, USA; Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - R E B Mruczek
- Department of Psychology, Worcester State University, Worcester, MA 01520, USA
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15
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Bremmer F, Kaminiarz A, Klingenhoefer S, Churan J. Decoding Target Distance and Saccade Amplitude from Population Activity in the Macaque Lateral Intraparietal Area (LIP). Front Integr Neurosci 2016; 10:30. [PMID: 27630547 PMCID: PMC5005376 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2016.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primates perform saccadic eye movements in order to bring the image of an interesting target onto the fovea. Compared to stationary targets, saccades toward moving targets are computationally more demanding since the oculomotor system must use speed and direction information about the target as well as knowledge about its own processing latency to program an adequate, predictive saccade vector. In monkeys, different brain regions have been implicated in the control of voluntary saccades, among them the lateral intraparietal area (LIP). Here we asked, if activity in area LIP reflects the distance between fovea and saccade target, or the amplitude of an upcoming saccade, or both. We recorded single unit activity in area LIP of two macaque monkeys. First, we determined for each neuron its preferred saccade direction. Then, monkeys performed visually guided saccades along the preferred direction toward either stationary or moving targets in pseudo-randomized order. LIP population activity allowed to decode both, the distance between fovea and saccade target as well as the size of an upcoming saccade. Previous work has shown comparable results for saccade direction (Graf and Andersen, 2014a,b). Hence, LIP population activity allows to predict any two-dimensional saccade vector. Functional equivalents of macaque area LIP have been identified in humans. Accordingly, our results provide further support for the concept of activity from area LIP as neural basis for the control of an oculomotor brain-machine interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Bremmer
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Andre Kaminiarz
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Jan Churan
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg, Germany
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16
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Raashid RA, Liu IZ, Blakeman A, Goltz HC, Wong AMF. The Initiation of Smooth Pursuit is Delayed in Anisometropic Amblyopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016; 57:1757-64. [PMID: 27070109 PMCID: PMC4849536 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-19126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Several behavioral studies have shown that the reaction times of visually guided movements are slower in people with amblyopia, particularly during amblyopic eye viewing. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the initiation of smooth pursuit eye movements, which are responsible for accurately keeping moving objects on the fovea, is delayed in people with anisometropic amblyopia. Methods Eleven participants with anisometropic amblyopia and 14 visually normal observers were asked to track a step-ramp target moving at ±15°/s horizontally as quickly and as accurately as possible. The experiment was conducted under three viewing conditions: amblyopic/nondominant eye, binocular, and fellow/dominant eye viewing. Outcome measures were smooth pursuit latency, open-loop gain, steady state gain, and catch-up saccade frequency. Results Participants with anisometropic amblyopia initiated smooth pursuit significantly slower during amblyopic eye viewing (206 ± 20 ms) than visually normal observers viewing with their nondominant eye (183 ± 17 ms, P = 0.002). However, mean pursuit latency in the anisometropic amblyopia group during binocular and monocular fellow eye viewing was comparable to the visually normal group. Mean open-loop gain, steady state gain, and catch-up saccade frequency were similar between the two groups, but participants with anisometropic amblyopia exhibited more variable steady state gain (P = 0.045). Conclusions This study provides evidence of temporally delayed smooth pursuit initiation in anisometropic amblyopia. After initiation, the smooth pursuit velocity profile in anisometropic amblyopia participants is similar to visually normal controls. This finding differs from what has been observed previously in participants with strabismic amblyopia who exhibit reduced smooth pursuit velocity gains with more catch-up saccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Arham Raashid
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ivy Ziqian Liu
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alan Blakeman
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Herbert C Goltz
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 2Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Agnes M F Wong
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 2Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada 3Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Chil
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17
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Dowiasch S, Blohm G, Bremmer F. Neural correlate of spatial (mis-)localization during smooth eye movements. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 44:1846-55. [PMID: 27177769 PMCID: PMC5089592 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The dependence of neuronal discharge on the position of the eyes in the orbit is a functional characteristic of many visual cortical areas of the macaque. It has been suggested that these eye-position signals provide relevant information for a coordinate transformation of visual signals into a non-eye-centered frame of reference. This transformation could be an integral part for achieving visual perceptual stability across eye movements. Previous studies demonstrated close to veridical eye-position decoding during stable fixation as well as characteristic erroneous decoding across saccadic eye-movements. Here we aimed to decode eye position during smooth pursuit. We recorded neural activity in macaque area VIP during steady fixation, saccades and smooth-pursuit and investigated the temporal and spatial accuracy of eye position as decoded from the neuronal discharges. Confirming previous results, the activity of the majority of neurons depended linearly on horizontal and vertical eye position. The application of a previously introduced computational approach (isofrequency decoding) allowed eye position decoding with considerable accuracy during steady fixation. We applied the same decoder on the activity of the same neurons during smooth-pursuit. On average, the decoded signal was leading the current eye position. A model combining this constant lead of the decoded eye position with a previously described attentional bias ahead of the pursuit target describes the asymmetric mislocalization pattern for briefly flashed stimuli during smooth pursuit eye movements as found in human behavioral studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Dowiasch
- Department of NeurophysicsPhilipps‐University MarburgKarl‐von‐Frisch‐Straße 8a35043MarburgGermany
| | | | - Frank Bremmer
- Department of NeurophysicsPhilipps‐University MarburgKarl‐von‐Frisch‐Straße 8a35043MarburgGermany
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18
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Abstract
Primates use two types of voluntary eye movements to track objects of interest: pursuit and saccades. Traditionally, these two eye movements have been viewed as distinct systems that are driven automatically by low-level visual inputs. However, two sets of findings argue for a new perspective on the control of voluntary eye movements. First, recent experiments have shown that pursuit and saccades are not controlled by entirely different neural pathways but are controlled by similar networks of cortical and subcortical regions and, in some cases, by the same neurons. Second, pursuit and saccades are not automatic responses to retinal inputs but are regulated by a process of target selection that involves a basic form of decision making. The selection process itself is guided by a variety of complex processes, including attention, perception, memory, and expectation. Together, these findings indicate that pursuit and saccades share a similar functional architecture. These points of similarity may hold the key for understanding how neural circuits negotiate the links between the many higher order functions that can influence behavior and the singular and coordinated motor actions that follow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Krauzlis
- Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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19
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Mohsenzadeh Y, Dash S, Crawford JD. A State Space Model for Spatial Updating of Remembered Visual Targets during Eye Movements. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:39. [PMID: 27242452 PMCID: PMC4867689 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In the oculomotor system, spatial updating is the ability to aim a saccade toward a remembered visual target position despite intervening eye movements. Although this has been the subject of extensive experimental investigation, there is still no unifying theoretical framework to explain the neural mechanism for this phenomenon, and how it influences visual signals in the brain. Here, we propose a unified state-space model (SSM) to account for the dynamics of spatial updating during two types of eye movement; saccades and smooth pursuit. Our proposed model is a non-linear SSM and implemented through a recurrent radial-basis-function neural network in a dual Extended Kalman filter (EKF) structure. The model parameters and internal states (remembered target position) are estimated sequentially using the EKF method. The proposed model replicates two fundamental experimental observations: continuous gaze-centered updating of visual memory-related activity during smooth pursuit, and predictive remapping of visual memory activity before and during saccades. Moreover, our model makes the new prediction that, when uncertainty of input signals is incorporated in the model, neural population activity and receptive fields expand just before and during saccades. These results suggest that visual remapping and motor updating are part of a common visuomotor mechanism, and that subjective perceptual constancy arises in part from training the visual system on motor tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalda Mohsenzadeh
- York Center for Vision Research, Canadian Action and Perception Network, York University Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Suryadeep Dash
- York Center for Vision Research, Canadian Action and Perception Network, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Robarts Research Institute, Western UniversityLondon, ON, Canada
| | - J Douglas Crawford
- York Center for Vision Research, Canadian Action and Perception Network, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada; Departments of Psychology, Biology, and Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada
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20
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Morris AP, Bremmer F, Krekelberg B. The Dorsal Visual System Predicts Future and Remembers Past Eye Position. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:9. [PMID: 26941617 PMCID: PMC4764714 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eye movements are essential to primate vision but introduce potentially disruptive displacements of the retinal image. To maintain stable vision, the brain is thought to rely on neurons that carry both visual signals and information about the current direction of gaze in their firing rates. We have shown previously that these neurons provide an accurate representation of eye position during fixation, but whether they are updated fast enough during saccadic eye movements to support real-time vision remains controversial. Here we show that not only do these neurons carry a fast and accurate eye-position signal, but also that they support in parallel a range of time-lagged variants, including predictive and post dictive signals. We recorded extracellular activity in four areas of the macaque dorsal visual cortex during a saccade task, including the lateral and ventral intraparietal areas (LIP, VIP), and the middle temporal (MT) and medial superior temporal (MST) areas. As reported previously, neurons showed tonic eye-position-related activity during fixation. In addition, they showed a variety of transient changes in activity around the time of saccades, including relative suppression, enhancement, and pre-saccadic bursts for one saccade direction over another. We show that a hypothetical neuron that pools this rich population activity through a weighted sum can produce an output that mimics the true spatiotemporal dynamics of the eye. Further, with different pooling weights, this downstream eye position signal (EPS) could be updated long before (<100 ms) or after (<200 ms) an eye movement. The results suggest a flexible coding scheme in which downstream computations have access to past, current, and future eye positions simultaneously, providing a basis for visual stability and delay-free visually-guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P Morris
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Frank Bremmer
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Bart Krekelberg
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University Newark, NJ, USA
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21
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Voluntary eye movements direct attention on the mental number space. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2016; 80:389-98. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-015-0741-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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22
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Ray S, Heinen SJ. A mechanism for decision rule discrimination by supplementary eye field neurons. Exp Brain Res 2014; 233:459-76. [PMID: 25370345 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4127-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A decision to select an action from alternatives is often guided by rules that flexibly map sensory inputs to motor outputs when certain conditions are satisfied. However, the neural mechanisms underlying rule-based decision making remain poorly understood. Two complementary types of neurons in the supplementary eye field (SEF) of macaques have been identified that modulate activity differentially to interpret rules in an ocular go-nogo task, which stipulates that the animal either visually pursue a moving object if it intersects a visible zone ('go'), or maintain fixation if it does not ('nogo'). These neurons discriminate between go and nogo rule-states by increasing activity to signal their preferred (agonist) rule-state and decreasing activity to signal their non-preferred (antagonist) rule-state. In the current study, we found that SEF neurons decrease activity in anticipation of the antagonist rule-state, and do so more rapidly when the rule-state is easier to predict. This rapid decrease in activity could underlie a process of elimination in which trajectories that do not invoke the preferred rule-state receive no further computational resources. Furthermore, discrimination between difficult and easy trials in the antagonist rule-state occurs prior to when discrimination within the agonist rule-state occurs. A winner-take-all like model that incorporates a pair of mutually inhibited integrators to accumulate evidence in favor of either the decision to pursue or the decision to continue fixation accounts for the observed neural phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Ray
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA,
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23
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Karkhanis AN, Heider B, Silva FM, Siegel RM. Spatial effects of shifting prisms on properties of posterior parietal cortex neurons. J Physiol 2014; 592:3625-46. [PMID: 24928956 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.270942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior parietal cortex contains neurons that respond to visual stimulation and motor behaviour. The objective of the current study was to test short-term adaptation in neurons in macaque area 7a and the dorsal prelunate during visually guided reaching using Fresnel prisms that displaced the visual field. The visual perturbation shifted the eye position and created a mismatch between perceived and actual reach location. Two non-human primates were trained to reach to visual targets before, during and after prism exposure while fixating the reach target in different locations. They were required to reach to the physical location of the reach target and not the perceived, displaced location. While behavioural adaptation to the prisms occurred within a few trials, the majority of neurons responded to the distortion either with substantial changes in spatial eye position tuning or changes in overall firing rate. These changes persisted even after prism removal. The spatial changes were not correlated with the direction of induced prism shift. The transformation of gain fields between conditions was estimated by calculating the translation and rotation in Euler angles. Rotations and translations of the horizontal and vertical spatial components occurred in a systematic manner for the population of neurons suggesting that the posterior parietal cortex retains a constant representation of the visual field remapping between experimental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushree N Karkhanis
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Barbara Heider
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Fabian Muñoz Silva
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Ralph M Siegel
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
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24
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Wright JM, Krekelberg B. Transcranial direct current stimulation over posterior parietal cortex modulates visuospatial localization. J Vis 2014; 14:14.9.5. [PMID: 25104830 DOI: 10.1167/14.9.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual localization is based on the complex interplay of bottom-up and top-down processing. Based on previous work, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is assumed to play an essential role in this interplay. In this study, we investigated the causal role of the PPC in visual localization. Specifically, our goal was to determine whether modulation of the PPC via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could induce visual mislocalization similar to that induced by an exogenous attentional cue (Wright, Morris, & Krekelberg, 2011). We placed one stimulation electrode over the right PPC and the other over the left PPC (dual tDCS) and varied the polarity of the stimulation. We found that this manipulation altered visual localization; this supports the causal involvement of the PPC in visual localization. Notably, mislocalization was more rightward when the cathode was placed over the right PPC than when the anode was placed over the right PPC. This mislocalization was found within a few minutes of stimulation onset, it dissipated during stimulation, but then resurfaced after stimulation offset and lasted for another 10-15 min. On the assumption that excitability is reduced beneath the cathode and increased beneath the anode, these findings support the view that each hemisphere biases processing to the contralateral hemifield and that the balance of activation between the hemispheres contributes to position perception (Kinsbourne, 1977; Szczepanski, Konen, & Kastner, 2010).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Wright
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Bart Krekelberg
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
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25
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Gaze holding after anterior-inferior temporal lobectomy. Neurol Sci 2014; 35:1749-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-014-1825-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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26
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Ziesche A, Hamker FH. Brain circuits underlying visual stability across eye movements-converging evidence for a neuro-computational model of area LIP. Front Comput Neurosci 2014; 8:25. [PMID: 24653691 PMCID: PMC3949326 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2014.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of the subjective experience of a visually stable world despite the occurrence of an observer's eye movements has been the focus of extensive research for over 20 years. These studies have revealed fundamental mechanisms such as anticipatory receptive field (RF) shifts and the saccadic suppression of stimulus displacements, yet there currently exists no single explanatory framework for these observations. We show that a previously presented neuro-computational model of peri-saccadic mislocalization accounts for the phenomenon of predictive remapping and for the observation of saccadic suppression of displacement (SSD). This converging evidence allows us to identify the potential ingredients of perceptual stability that generalize beyond different data sets in a formal physiology-based model. In particular we propose that predictive remapping stabilizes the visual world across saccades by introducing a feedback loop and, as an emergent result, small displacements of stimuli are not noticed by the visual system. The model provides a link from neural dynamics, to neural mechanism and finally to behavior, and thus offers a testable comprehensive framework of visual stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnold Ziesche
- Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Chemnitz University of Technology Chemnitz, Germany ; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster Muenster, Germany
| | - Fred H Hamker
- Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Chemnitz University of Technology Chemnitz, Germany
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27
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Leclercq G, Blohm G, Lefèvre P. Accounting for direction and speed of eye motion in planning visually guided manual tracking. J Neurophysiol 2013; 110:1945-57. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00130.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate motor planning in a dynamic environment is a critical skill for humans because we are often required to react quickly and adequately to the visual motion of objects. Moreover, we are often in motion ourselves, and this complicates motor planning. Indeed, the retinal and spatial motions of an object are different because of the retinal motion component induced by self-motion. Many studies have investigated motion perception during smooth pursuit and concluded that eye velocity is partially taken into account by the brain. Here we investigate whether the eye velocity during ongoing smooth pursuit is taken into account for the planning of visually guided manual tracking. We had 10 human participants manually track a target while in steady-state smooth pursuit toward another target such that the difference between the retinal and spatial target motion directions could be large, depending on both the direction and the speed of the eye. We used a measure of initial arm movement direction to quantify whether motor planning occurred in retinal coordinates (not accounting for eye motion) or was spatially correct (incorporating eye velocity). Results showed that the eye velocity was nearly fully taken into account by the neuronal areas involved in the visuomotor velocity transformation (between 75% and 102%). In particular, these neuronal pathways accounted for the nonlinear effects due to the relative velocity between the target and the eye. In conclusion, the brain network transforming visual motion into a motor plan for manual tracking adequately uses extraretinal signals about eye velocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Leclercq
- Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gunnar Blohm
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; and
- Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Philippe Lefèvre
- Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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28
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Ranjbaran M, Galiana HL. The horizontal angular vestibulo-ocular reflex: a nonlinear mechanism for context-dependent responses. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2013; 60:3216-25. [PMID: 23846433 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2013.2271723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Studies of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) have revealed that this type of involuntary eye movement is influenced by viewing distance. This paper presents a bilateral model for the horizontal angular VOR in the dark based on realistic physiological mechanisms. It is shown that by assigning proper nonlinear neural computations at the premotor level, the model is capable of replicating target-distance-dependent VOR responses that are in agreement with geometrical requirements. Central premotor responses in the model are also shown to be consistent with experimental observations. Moreover, the model performance after simulated unilateral canal plugging also reproduces experimental observations, an emerging property. Such local nonlinear computations could similarly generate context-dependent behaviors in other more complex motor systems.
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29
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A single functional model of drivers and modulators in cortex. J Comput Neurosci 2013; 36:97-118. [DOI: 10.1007/s10827-013-0471-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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30
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Golomb JD, Kanwisher N. Higher level visual cortex represents retinotopic, not spatiotopic, object location. Cereb Cortex 2012; 22:2794-810. [PMID: 22190434 PMCID: PMC3491766 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhr357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The crux of vision is to identify objects and determine their locations in the environment. Although initial visual representations are necessarily retinotopic (eye centered), interaction with the real world requires spatiotopic (absolute) location information. We asked whether higher level human visual cortex-important for stable object recognition and action-contains information about retinotopic and/or spatiotopic object position. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging multivariate pattern analysis techniques, we found information about both object category and object location in each of the ventral, dorsal, and early visual regions tested, replicating previous reports. By manipulating fixation position and stimulus position, we then tested whether these location representations were retinotopic or spatiotopic. Crucially, all location information was purely retinotopic. This pattern persisted when location information was irrelevant to the task, and even when spatiotopic (not retinotopic) stimulus position was explicitly emphasized. We also conducted a "searchlight" analysis across our entire scanned volume to explore additional cortex but again found predominantly retinotopic representations. The lack of explicit spatiotopic representations suggests that spatiotopic object position may instead be computed indirectly and continually reconstructed with each eye movement. Thus, despite our subjective impression that visual information is spatiotopic, even in higher level visual cortex, object location continues to be represented in retinotopic coordinates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie D Golomb
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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31
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Hadjidimitrakis K, Breveglieri R, Bosco A, Fattori P. Three-dimensional eye position signals shape both peripersonal space and arm movement activity in the medial posterior parietal cortex. Front Integr Neurosci 2012; 6:37. [PMID: 22754511 PMCID: PMC3385520 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2012.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Accepted: 06/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Research conducted over the last decades has established that the medial part of posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is crucial for controlling visually guided actions in human and non-human primates. Within this cortical sector there is area V6A, a crucial node of the parietofrontal network involved in arm movement control in both monkeys and humans. However, the encoding of action-in-depth by V6A cells had been not studied till recently. Recent neurophysiological studies show the existence in V6A neurons of signals related to the distance of targets from the eyes. These signals are integrated, often at the level of single cells, with information about the direction of gaze, thus encoding spatial location in 3D space. Moreover, 3D eye position signals seem to be further exploited at two additional levels of neural processing: (a) in determining whether targets are located in the peripersonal space or not, and (b) in shaping the spatial tuning of arm movement related activity toward reachable targets. These findings are in line with studies in putative homolog regions in humans and together point to a role of medial PPC in encoding both the vergence angle of the eyes and peripersonal space. Besides its role in spatial encoding also in depth, several findings demonstrate the involvement of this cortical sector in non-spatial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Hadjidimitrakis
- Department of Human and General Physiology, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy
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32
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Eye position encoding in three-dimensional space: integration of version and vergence signals in the medial posterior parietal cortex. J Neurosci 2012; 32:159-69. [PMID: 22219279 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4028-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Eye position signals are pivotal in the visuomotor transformations performed by the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), but to date there are few studies addressing the influence of vergence angle upon single PPC neurons. In the present study, we investigated the influence on single neurons of the medial PPC area V6A of vergence and version signals. Single-unit activity was recorded from V6A in two Macaca fascicularis fixating real targets in darkness. The fixation targets were placed at eye level and at different vergence and version angles within the peripersonal space. Few neurons were modulated by version or vergence only, while the majority of cells were affected by both signals. We advance here the hypothesis that gaze-modulated V6A cells are able to encode gazed positions in the three-dimensional space. In single cells, version and vergence influenced the discharge with variable time course. In several cases, the two gaze variables influence neural discharges during only a part of the fixation time, but, more often, their influence persisted through large parts of it. Cells discharging for the first 400-500 ms of fixation could signal the arrival of gaze (and/or of spotlight of attention) in a new position in the peripersonal space. Cells showing a more sustained activity during the fixation period could better signal the location in space of the gazed objects. Both signals are critical for the control of upcoming or ongoing arm movements, such as those needed to reach and grasp objects located in the peripersonal space.
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33
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A computational model for the influence of corollary discharge and proprioception on the perisaccadic mislocalization of briefly presented stimuli in complete darkness. J Neurosci 2012; 31:17392-405. [PMID: 22131401 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3407-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial perception, the localization of stimuli in space, can rely on visual reference stimuli or on egocentric factors such as a stimulus position relative to eye gaze. In total darkness, only an egocentric reference frame provides sufficient information. When stimuli are briefly flashed around saccades, the localization error reveals potential mechanisms of updating such reference frames as described in several theories and computational models. Recent novel experimental evidence, however, showed that the maximum amount of mislocalization does not scale linearly with saccade amplitude but rather stays below 13° even for long saccades, which is different from predicted by present models. We propose a new model of perisaccadic mislocalization in complete darkness to account for this observation. According to this model, mislocalization arises not on the motor side by comparing a retinal position signal with an extraretinal eye position related signal but by updating stimulus position in visual areas through a combination of proprioceptive eye position and corollary discharge. Simulations with realistic input signals and temporal dynamics show that both signals together are used for spatial updating and in turn bring about perisaccadic mislocalization.
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Dynamics of eye-position signals in the dorsal visual system. Curr Biol 2012; 22:173-9. [PMID: 22225775 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2011] [Revised: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 12/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many visual areas of the primate brain contain signals related to the current position of the eyes in the orbit. These cortical eye-position signals are thought to underlie the transformation of retinal input-which changes with every eye movement-into a stable representation of visual space. For this coding scheme to work, such signals would need to be updated fast enough to keep up with the eye during normal exploratory behavior. We examined the dynamics of cortical eye-position signals in four dorsal visual areas of the macaque brain: the lateral and ventral intraparietal areas (LIP; VIP), the middle temporal area (MT), and the medial-superior temporal area (MST). We recorded extracellular activity of single neurons while the animal performed sequences of fixations and saccades in darkness. RESULTS The data show that eye-position signals are updated predictively, such that the representation shifts in the direction of a saccade prior to (<100 ms) the actual eye movement. Despite this early start, eye-position signals remain inaccurate until shortly after (10-150 ms) the eye movement. By using simulated behavioral experiments, we show that this brief misrepresentation of eye position provides a neural explanation for the psychophysical phenomenon of perisaccadic mislocalization, in which observers misperceive the positions of visual targets flashed around the time of saccadic eye movements. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results suggest that eye-position signals in the dorsal visual system are updated rapidly across eye movements and play a direct role in perceptual localization, even when they are erroneous.
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Havermann K, Zimmermann E, Lappe M. Eye position effects in saccadic adaptation. J Neurophysiol 2011; 106:2536-45. [PMID: 21795618 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00023.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Saccades are used by the visual system to explore visual space with the high accuracy of the fovea. The visual error after the saccade is used to adapt the control of subsequent eye movements of the same amplitude and direction in order to keep saccades accurate. Saccadic adaptation is thus specific to saccade amplitude and direction. In the present study we show that saccadic adaptation is also specific to the initial position of the eye in the orbit. This is useful, because saccades are normally accompanied by head movements and the control of combined head and eye movements depends on eye position. Many parts of the saccadic system contain eye position information. Using the intrasaccadic target step paradigm, we adaptively reduced the amplitude of reactive saccades to a suddenly appearing target at a selective position of the eyes in the orbitae and tested the resulting amplitude changes for the same saccade vector at other starting positions. For central adaptation positions the saccade amplitude reduction transferred completely to eccentric starting positions. However, for adaptation at eccentric starting positions, there was a reduced transfer to saccades from central starting positions or from eccentric starting positions in the opposite hemifield. Thus eye position information modifies the transfer of saccadic amplitude changes in the adaptation of reactive saccades. A gain field mechanism may explain the eye position dependence found.
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36
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De Meyer K, Spratling MW. Multiplicative Gain Modulation Arises Through Unsupervised Learning in a Predictive Coding Model of Cortical Function. Neural Comput 2011; 23:1536-67. [DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The combination of two or more population-coded signals in a neural model of predictive coding can give rise to multiplicative gain modulation in the response properties of individual neurons. Synaptic weights generating these multiplicative response properties can be learned using an unsupervised, Hebbian learning rule. The behavior of the model is compared to empirical data on gaze-dependent gain modulation of cortical cells and found to be in good agreement with a range of physiological observations. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the model can learn to represent a set of basis functions. This letter thus connects an often-observed neurophysiological phenomenon and important neurocomputational principle (gain modulation) with an influential theory of brain operation (predictive coding).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris De Meyer
- Department of Informatics and Division of Engineering, King's College London, WC2R 2LS, U.K
| | - Michael W. Spratling
- Department of Informatics and Division of Engineering, King's College London, WC2R 2LS, U.K
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37
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Hamker FH, Zirnsak M, Ziesche A, Lappe M. Computational models of spatial updating in peri-saccadic perception. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 366:554-71. [PMID: 21242143 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual phenomena that occur around the time of a saccade, such as peri-saccadic mislocalization or saccadic suppression of displacement, have often been linked to mechanisms of spatial stability. These phenomena are usually regarded as errors in processes of trans-saccadic spatial transformations and they provide important tools to study these processes. However, a true understanding of the underlying brain processes that participate in the preparation for a saccade and in the transfer of information across it requires a closer, more quantitative approach that links different perceptual phenomena with each other and with the functional requirements of ensuring spatial stability. We review a number of computational models of peri-saccadic spatial perception that provide steps in that direction. Although most models are concerned with only specific phenomena, some generalization and interconnection between them can be obtained from a comparison. Our analysis shows how different perceptual effects can coherently be brought together and linked back to neuronal mechanisms on the way to explaining vision across saccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred H Hamker
- Department of Psychology, Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster, Münster, Germany.
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38
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Prime SL, Vesia M, Crawford JD. Cortical mechanisms for trans-saccadic memory and integration of multiple object features. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2011; 366:540-53. [PMID: 21242142 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Constructing an internal representation of the world from successive visual fixations, i.e. separated by saccadic eye movements, is known as trans-saccadic perception. Research on trans-saccadic perception (TSP) has been traditionally aimed at resolving the problems of memory capacity and visual integration across saccades. In this paper, we review this literature on TSP with a focus on research showing that egocentric measures of the saccadic eye movement can be used to integrate simple object features across saccades, and that the memory capacity for items retained across saccades, like visual working memory, is restricted to about three to four items. We also review recent transcranial magnetic stimulation experiments which suggest that the right parietal eye field and frontal eye fields play a key functional role in spatial updating of objects in TSP. We conclude by speculating on possible cortical mechanisms for governing egocentric spatial updating of multiple objects in TSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L Prime
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2
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Mahaffy S, Krauzlis RJ. Inactivation and stimulation of the frontal pursuit area change pursuit metrics without affecting pursuit target selection. J Neurophysiol 2011; 106:347-60. [PMID: 21525365 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00669.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontal pursuit area (FPA) lies posterior to the frontal eye fields in the frontal cortex and contains neurons that are directionally selective for pursuit eye movements. Lesions of the FPA (alternately called "FEFsem") cause deficits in pursuit acceleration and velocity, which are largest for movements directed toward the lesioned side. Conversely, stimulation of the FPA evokes pursuit from fixation and increases the gain of the pursuit response. On the basis of these properties, it has been hypothesized that the FPA could underlie the selection of pursuit direction. To test this possibility, we manipulated FPA activity and measured the effect on target selection behavior in rhesus monkeys. First, we unilaterally inactivated the FPA with the GABA agonist muscimol. We then measured the monkeys' performance on a pursuit-choice task. Second, we applied microstimulation unilaterally to the FPA during pursuit initiation while monkeys performed the same pursuit-choice task. Both of these manipulations produced significant effects on pursuit metrics; the inactivation decreased pursuit velocity and acceleration, and microstimulation evoked pursuit directly. Despite these changes, both manipulations failed to significantly alter choice behavior. These results show that FPA activity is not necessary for pursuit target selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Mahaffy
- Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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40
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Mahaffy S, Krauzlis RJ. Neural activity in the frontal pursuit area does not underlie pursuit target selection. Vision Res 2011; 51:853-66. [PMID: 20970442 PMCID: PMC3046298 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2010.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 10/06/2010] [Accepted: 10/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The frontal pursuit area (FPA) contains neurons that are directionally selective for pursuit eye-movements. We found that FPA neurons discriminate target from distracter too late to account for pursuit directional selection. Rather, the timing of neuronal discrimination is linked to pursuit onset, suggesting a role in motor execution. We also found buildup of activity of FPA neurons prior to pursuit onset that correlated with eye acceleration. These results show that the FPA is unlikely to be involved in selection of initial pursuit direction, but could be involved in motor preparation by increasing pursuit gain prior to pursuit onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Mahaffy
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0662, United States
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41
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Spering M, Montagnini A. Do we track what we see? Common versus independent processing for motion perception and smooth pursuit eye movements: A review. Vision Res 2011; 51:836-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2010.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 10/09/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Burke MR, Barnes GR. The neural correlates of inhibiting pursuit to smoothly moving targets. J Cogn Neurosci 2011; 23:3294-303. [PMID: 21452936 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A previous study has shown that actively pursuing a moving target provides a predictive motor advantage when compared with passive observation of the moving target while keeping the eyes still [Burke, M. R., & Barnes, G. R. Anticipatory eye movements evoked after active following versus passive observation of a predictable motion stimulus. Brain Research, 15, 74-81, 2008b]. By using a novel paradigm based on combining a smooth pursuit stimulus with a go/no-go task, we have been able to reveal significant differences in brain activity for the inhibition of pursuit during the presentation of a smoothly moving target. Areas that show specific inhibitory and retinocentric velocity storage activity for the passive (no-go) condition include the dorsolateral pFC, the caudate, and the posterior cingulate. The FEFs, the supramarginal gyrus, the medial occipital gyrus, and the superior parietal lobe were found to be more involved in both the acquisition and response generation during no-go trials when compared with go trials. The go trials revealed higher activity than the no-go during the acquisition phase in the uncus and posterior cingulate. Furthermore, higher motor-related activity in the go task was found in the cerebellum. In summary, the areas involved in inhibiting smooth pursuit are consistent with the findings from the saccade literature, providing further evidence in support of overlapping cortical control networks.
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Chinellato E, Antonelli M, Grzyb BJ, del Pobil AP. Implicit Sensorimotor Mapping of the Peripersonal Space by Gazing and Reaching. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1109/tamd.2011.2106781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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44
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Kamigaki T, Fukushima T, Miyashita Y. Neuronal signal dynamics during preparation and execution for behavioral shifting in macaque posterior parietal cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2011; 23:2503-20. [PMID: 21254803 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2011.21613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility arises from our ability to shift behaviors depending on demand changes. Behavioral shifting recruits both a preparatory process for an upcoming behavior and an execution process for the actual behavior. Although neuroimaging studies have shown that several brain regions, including posterior parietal cortex (PPC) participated in each component process, it remains unresolved how such processes are implemented at the single-cell level or even whether these processes are distinctively carried out across microstructures in such regions. By recording single-unit activity from PPC of two monkeys performing an analog of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, we found that, in the execution process, two types of neurons exhibited activity modulation depending on whether shift was (shift trial) or was not required (nonshift trial): one type showing larger activity and the other showing smaller activity in the shift trial than in the nonshift trial. In the preparatory process, in contrast, the population activity of both types became larger in the shift trial than in the nonshift trial. The majority of both types exhibited shift-related activity modulation in both processes, whereas the remaining was specialized in the execution process. The former and the latter neurons were spatially intermingled within PPC. Significantly, when the animals performed set shifting spontaneously in prospect of a demand change, the shift-related activity modulation still emerged in both processes. We suggest that both execution and preparation signals are represented within PPC, and that these signals reflect behavioral shifting mechanisms that can be driven by either internal or external triggers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsukasa Kamigaki
- Department of Physiology, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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45
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Williams AL, Smith AT. Representation of Eye Position in the Human Parietal Cortex. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:2169-77. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00713.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons that signal eye position are thought to make a vital contribution to distinguishing real world motion from retinal motion caused by eye movements, but relatively little is known about such neurons in the human brain. Here we present data from functional MRI experiments that are consistent with the existence of neurons sensitive to eye position in darkness in the human posterior parietal cortex. We used the enhanced sensitivity of multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) techniques, combined with a searchlight paradigm, to isolate brain regions sensitive to direction of gaze. During data acquisition, participants were cued to direct their gaze to the left or right for sustained periods as part of a block-design paradigm. Following the exclusion of saccade-related activity from the data, the multivariate analysis showed sensitivity to tonic eye position in two localized posterior parietal regions, namely the dorsal precuneus and, more weakly, the posterior aspect of the intraparietal sulcus. Sensitivity to eye position was also seen in anterior portions of the occipital cortex. The observed sensitivity of visual cortical neurons to eye position, even in the total absence of visual stimulation, is possibly a result of feedback from posterior parietal regions that receive eye position signals and explicitly encode direction of gaze.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew T. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
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46
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Heider B, Karnik A, Ramalingam N, Siegel RM. Neural representation during visually guided reaching in macaque posterior parietal cortex. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:3494-509. [PMID: 20844104 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01050.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Visually guided hand movements in primates require an interconnected network of various cortical areas. Single unit firing rate from area 7a and dorsal prelunate (DP) neurons of macaque posterior parietal cortex (PPC) was recorded during reaching movements to targets at variable locations and under different eye position conditions. In the eye position-varied task, the reach target was always foveated; thus eye position varied with reach target location. In the retinal-varied task, the monkey reached to targets at variable retinotopic locations while eye position was kept constant in the center. Spatial tuning was examined with respect to temporal (task epoch) and contextual (task condition) aspects, and response fields were compared. The analysis showed distinct tuning types. The majority of neurons changed their gain field tuning and retinotopic tuning between different phases of the task. Between the onset of visual stimulation and the preparatory phase (before the go signal), about one half the neurons altered their firing rate significantly. Spatial response fields during preparation and initiation epochs were strongly influenced by the task condition (eye position varied vs. retinal varied), supporting a strong role of eye position during visually guided reaching. DP neurons, classically considered visual, showed reach related modulation similar to 7a neurons. This study shows that both area 7a and DP are modulated during reaching behavior in primates. The various tuning types in both areas suggest distinct populations recruiting different circuits during visually guided reaching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Heider
- Ctr. for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers Univ., 197 University Ave., Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
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47
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Maier JX, Groh JM. Comparison of gain-like properties of eye position signals in inferior colliculus versus auditory cortex of primates. Front Integr Neurosci 2010; 4. [PMID: 20838470 PMCID: PMC2936885 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2010.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2010] [Accepted: 08/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated to what extent the influence of eye position in the auditory pathway of primates can be described as a gain field. We compared single unit activity in the inferior colliculus (IC), core auditory cortex (A1) and the caudomedial belt (CM) region of auditory cortex (AC) in primates, and found stronger evidence for gain field-like interactions in the IC than in AC. In the IC, eye position signals showed both multiplicative and additive interactions with auditory responses, whereas in AC the effects were not as well predicted by a gain field model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost X Maier
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
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48
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Durand JB, Trotter Y, Celebrini S. Privileged Processing of the Straight-Ahead Direction in Primate Area V1. Neuron 2010; 66:126-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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49
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Abstract
Visual scene interpretation depends on assumptions based on the statistical regularities of the world. People have some preference for seeing ambiguously oriented objects (Necker cubes) as if tilted down or viewed from above. This bias is a near certainty in the first instant (∼1 s) of viewing and declines over the course of many seconds. In addition, we found that there is modulation of perceived orientation that varies with position—for example objects on the left are more likely to be interpreted as viewed from the right. Therefore there is both a viewed-from-above prior and a scene position-dependent modulation of perceived 3-D orientation. These results are consistent with the idea that ambiguously oriented objects are initially assigned an orientation consistent with our experience of an asymmetric world in which objects most probably sit on surfaces below eye level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan C Dobbins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering & Vision Science Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America.
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50
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Bremmer F, Kubischik M, Hoffmann KP, Krekelberg B. Neural dynamics of saccadic suppression. J Neurosci 2009; 29:12374-83. [PMID: 19812313 PMCID: PMC2787621 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2908-09.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2009] [Revised: 08/20/2009] [Accepted: 08/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We make fast, ballistic eye movements called saccades more often than our heart beats. Although every saccade causes a large movement of the image of the environment on our retina, we never perceive this motion. This aspect of perceptual stability is often referred to as saccadic suppression: a reduction of visual sensitivity around the time of saccades. Here, we investigated the neural basis of this perceptual phenomenon with extracellular recordings from awake, behaving monkeys in the middle temporal, medial superior temporal, ventral intraparietal, and lateral intraparietal areas. We found that, in each of these areas, the neural response to a visual stimulus changes around an eye movement. The perisaccadic response changes are qualitatively different in each of these areas, suggesting that they do not arise from a change in a common input area. Importantly, our data show that the suppression in the dorsal stream starts well before the eye movement. This clearly shows that the suppression is not just a consequence of the changes in visual input during the eye movement but rather must involve a process that actively modulates neural activity just before a saccade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Bremmer
- Department of Zoology and Neurobiology, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany.
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