1
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Aralla R, Pauley C, Köppl C. The Neural Representation of Binaural Sound Localization Cues Across Different Subregions of the Chicken's Inferior Colliculus. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25653. [PMID: 38962885 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25653] [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: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
The sound localization behavior of the nocturnally hunting barn owl and its underlying neural computations is a textbook example of neuroethology. Differences in sound timing and level at the two ears are integrated in a series of well-characterized steps, from brainstem to inferior colliculus (IC), resulting in a topographical neural representation of auditory space. It remains an important question of brain evolution: How is this specialized case derived from a more plesiomorphic pattern? The present study is the first to match physiology and anatomical subregions in the non-owl avian IC. Single-unit responses in the chicken IC were tested for selectivity to different frequencies and to the binaural difference cues. Their anatomical origin was reconstructed with the help of electrolytic lesions and immunohistochemical identification of different subregions of the IC, based on previous characterizations in owl and chicken. In contrast to barn owl, there was no distinct differentiation of responses in the different subregions. We found neural topographies for both binaural cues but no evidence for a coherent representation of auditory space. The results are consistent with previous work in pigeon IC and chicken higher-order midbrain and suggest a plesiomorphic condition of multisensory integration in the midbrain that is dominated by lateral panoramic vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Aralla
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Claire Pauley
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christine Köppl
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
- Research Center for Neurosensory Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg, Germany
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2
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Straight PJ, Gignac PM, Kuenzel WJ. Mapping the avian visual tectofugal pathway using 3D reconstruction. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25558. [PMID: 38047431 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Image processing in amniotes is usually accomplished by the thalamofugal and/or tectofugal visual systems. In laterally eyed birds, the tectofugal system dominates with functions such as color and motion processing, spatial orientation, stimulus identification, and localization. This makes it a critical system for complex avian behavior. Here, the brains of chicks, Gallus gallus, were used to produce serial brain sections in either coronal, sagittal, or horizontal planes and stained with either Nissl and Gallyas silver myelin or Luxol fast blue stain and cresyl echt violet (CEV). The emerging techniques of diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) coupled with serial histochemistry in three planes were used to generate a comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) model of the avian tectofugal visual system. This enabled the 3D reconstruction of tectofugal circuits, including the three primary neuronal projections. Specifically, major components of the system included four regions of the retina, layers of the optic tectum, subdivisions of the nucleus rotundus in the thalamus, the entopallium in the forebrain, and supplementary components connecting into or out of this major avian visual sensory system. The resulting 3D model enabled a better understanding of the structural components and connectivity of this complex system by providing a complete spatial organization that occupied several distinct brain regions. We demonstrate how pairing diceCT with traditional histochemistry is an effective means to improve the understanding of, and thereby should generate insights into, anatomical and functional properties of complicated neural pathways, and we recommend this approach to clarify enigmatic properties of these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker J Straight
- Poultry Science Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Paul M Gignac
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Anatomy and Cell Biology Department, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Wayne J Kuenzel
- Poultry Science Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
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3
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Maldarelli G, Firzlaff U, Kettler L, Ondracek JM, Luksch H. Two Types of Auditory Spatial Receptive Fields in Different Parts of the Chicken's Midbrain. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4669-4680. [PMID: 35508384 PMCID: PMC9186802 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2204-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The optic tectum (OT) is an avian midbrain structure involved in the integration of visual and auditory stimuli. Studies in the barn owl, an auditory specialist, have shown that spatial auditory information is topographically represented in the OT. Little is known about how auditory space is represented in the midbrain of birds with generalist hearing, i.e., most of avian species lacking peripheral adaptations such as facial ruffs or asymmetric ears. Thus, we conducted in vivo extracellular recordings of single neurons in the OT and in the external portion of the formatio reticularis lateralis (FRLx), a brain structure located between the inferior colliculus (IC) and the OT, in anaesthetized chickens of either sex. We found that most of the auditory spatial receptive fields (aSRFs) were spatially confined both in azimuth and elevation, divided into two main classes: round aSRFs, mainly present in the OT, and annular aSRFs, with a ring-like shape around the interaural axis, mainly present in the FRLx. Our data further indicate that interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) play a role in the formation of both aSRF classes. These results suggest that, unlike mammals and owls which have a congruent representation of visual and auditory space in the OT, generalist birds separate the computation of auditory space in two different midbrain structures. We hypothesize that the FRLx-annular aSRFs define the distance of a sound source from the axis of the lateral visual fovea, whereas the OT-round aSRFs are involved in multimodal integration of the stimulus around the lateral fovea.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous studies implied that auditory spatial receptive fields (aSRFs) in the midbrain of generalist birds are only confined along azimuth. Interestingly, we found SRFs s in the chicken to be confined along both azimuth and elevation. Moreover, the auditory receptive fields are arranged in a concentric manner around the overlapping interaural and visual axes. These data suggest that in generalist birds, which mainly rely on vision, the auditory system mainly serves to align auditory stimuli with the visual axis, while auditory specialized birds like the barn owl compute sound sources more precisely and integrate sound positions in the multimodal space map of the optic tectum (OT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Maldarelli
- Chair of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
| | - Uwe Firzlaff
- Chair of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
| | - Lutz Kettler
- Chair of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
| | - Janie M Ondracek
- Chair of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
| | - Harald Luksch
- Chair of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
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4
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Liu X, Huang H, Snutch TP, Cao P, Wang L, Wang F. The Superior Colliculus: Cell Types, Connectivity, and Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:1519-1540. [PMID: 35484472 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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5
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Wang S, Ma Q, Qian L, Zhao M, Wang Z, Shi L. Encoding Model for Continuous Motion-sensitive Neurons in the Intermediate and Deep Layers of the Pigeon Optic Tectum. Neuroscience 2022; 484:1-15. [PMID: 34999198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The intermediate and deep layers of the optic tectum (OT) contain neurons that are sensitive to small continuously moving targets. The sensitivity of these neurons to continuously moving targets suggests directed energy accumulation in the dendrite field of these neurons. Considering that the activation of a single dendrite can induce somatic spikes in vitro, we suggest the mechanism underlying the sequential probability activation of soma. The simulation model of these neurons constructed in combination with the above assumptions qualitatively reproduces the response characteristics of neurons to multi-sized stimuli and continuous sensitivity stimuli observed in physiological experiments. We used the characteristics of continuous motion-sensitive neurons that prefer long-lasting motion and single dendrite activation to induce somatic spikes as the entry point to construct the neuron encoding model. This model will enhance our understanding of the information-processing mechanism of the OT area of bird neurons in perceiving weak targets, and has important theoretical and practical significance for the construction of new brain-like algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songwei Wang
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Quangong Ma
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Longlong Qian
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mengyu Zhao
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhizhong Wang
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Li Shi
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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6
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Entrainment within neuronal response in optic tectum of pigeon to video displays. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:845-855. [PMID: 32809044 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01442-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The cathode ray tube (CRT) is a common and important tool that has been in use for decades, with which behavioral and visual neuroscientists deliver specific visual images generated by computers. Considering the operating principle of the CRT, the image it presents can flick at a constant rate, which will introduce distractions to the visual experiments on subjects with higher temporal resolutions. While this entrainment has been proved common in recordings of the primary visual cortex of mammals, it is uncertain whether it also exists in the intermediate to deep layers of pigeon's optic tectum, which is relevant to the spatial attention. Here, we present continuous visual stimuli with different refresh rates and luminances couples shown on a CRT to pigeons. The recordings in the intermediate to deep layers of optic tectum were significantly phase locking to the refresh of the CRT, and lower refresh rates of the CRT with higher brightness more likely introduced artifacts in electrophysiological recordings of pigeons, which may seriously damage their visual information perception.
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7
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Kloos M, Weigel S, Luksch H. Anatomy and Physiology of Neurons in Layer 9 of the Chicken Optic Tectum. Front Neural Circuits 2019; 13:63. [PMID: 31680877 PMCID: PMC6802604 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00063] [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] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information in birds is to great extent processed in the optic tectum (TeO), a prominent laminated midbrain structure. Retinal input enters the TeO in its superficial layers, while output is limited to intermediate and deeper layers. In addition to visual information, the TeO receives multimodal input from the auditory and somatosensory pathway. The TeO gives rise to a major ascending tectofugal projection where neurons of tectal layer 13 project to the thalamic nucleus rotundus, which then projects to the entopallium. A second tectofugal projection system, called the accessory pathway, has however not been studied as thoroughly. Again, cells of tectal layer 13 form an ascending projection that targets a nucleus known as either the caudal part of the nucleus dorsolateralis posterior of the thalamus (DLPc) or nucleus uveaformis (Uva). This nucleus is known for multimodal integration and receives additional input from the lateral pontine nucleus (PL), which in turn receives projections from layer 8–15 of the TeO. Here, we studied a particular cell type afferent to the PL that consists of radially oriented neurons in layer 9. We characterized these neurons with respect to their anatomy, their retinal input, and the modulation of retinal input by local circuits. We found that comparable to other radial neurons in the tectum, cells of layer 9 have columnar dendritic fields and reach up to layer 2. Sholl analysis demonstrated that dendritic arborization concentrates on retinorecipient layers 2 and 4, with additional arborization in layers 9 and 10. All neurons recorded in layer 9 received retinal input via glutamatergic synapses. We analyzed the influence of modulatory circuits of the TeO by application of antagonists to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine (ACh). Our data show that the neurons of layer 9 are integrated in a network under strong GABAergic inhibition, which is controlled by local cholinergic activation. Output to the PL and to the accessory tectofugal pathway thus appears to be under strict control of local tectal networks, the relevance of which for multimodal integration is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marinus Kloos
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Weigel
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Harald Luksch
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chair of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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8
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Delius JD, Delius JAM. Systematic Analysis of Pigeons' Discrimination of Pixelated Stimuli: A Hierarchical Pattern Recognition System Is Not Identifiable. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13929. [PMID: 31558750 PMCID: PMC6763494 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50212-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigeons learned to discriminate two different patterns displayed with miniature light-emitting diode arrays. They were then tested with 84 interspersed, non-reinforced degraded pattern pairs. Choices ranged between 100% and 50% for one or other of the patterns. Stimuli consisting of few pixels yielded low choice scores whereas those consisting of many pixels yielded a broad range of scores. Those patterns with a high number of pixels coinciding with those of the rewarded training stimulus were preferred and those with a high number of pixels coinciding with the non-rewarded training pattern were avoided; a discrimination index based on this correlated 0.74 with the pattern choices. Pixels common to both training patterns had a minimal influence. A pixel-by-pixel analysis revealed that eight pixels of one pattern and six pixels of the other pattern played a prominent role in the pigeons’ choices. These pixels were disposed in four and two clusters of neighbouring locations. A summary index calculated on this basis still only yielded a weak 0.73 correlation. The individual pigeons’ data furthermore showed that these clusters were a mere averaging mirage. The pigeons’ performance depends on deep learning in a midbrain-based multimillion synapse neuronal network. Pixelated visual patterns should be helpful when simulating perception of patterns with artificial networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D Delius
- Experimental Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Julia A M Delius
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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9
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Pigeons integrate visual motion signals differently than humans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13411. [PMID: 31527647 PMCID: PMC6746846 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49839-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving motion is a fundamental ability for animals. Primates integrate local 1D motion across orientation and space to compute a rigid 2D motion. It is unknown whether the rule of 2D motion integration is universal within the vertebrate clade; comparative studies of animals with different ecological backgrounds from primates may help answer that question. Here we investigated 2D motion integration in pigeons, using hierarchically structured motion stimuli, namely a barber-pole illusion and plaid motion. The pigeons were trained to report the direction of motion of random dots. When a barber-pole or plaid stimulus was presented, they reported the direction perpendicular to the grating orientation for barber-pole and the vector average of two component gratings for plaid motion. These results demonstrate that pigeons perceive different directions than humans from the same motion stimuli, and suggest that the 2D integrating rules in the primate brain has been elaborated through phylogenetic or ecological factors specific to the clade.
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10
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Wang S, Wang M, Wang Z, Shi L. First spike latency of ON/OFF neurons in the optic tectum of pigeons. Integr Zool 2018; 14:479-493. [PMID: 30585417 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Some shallow and middle optic tectum (OT) neurons have stable, asymmetric full-screen ON and OFF stimulus response properties, which makes them candidates for delay encoding. In this paper, we investigated the delay encoding mechanism for the neuronal clusters in the OT region of pigeons and determined the mechanism of delay coding in the OT region. By analyzing the responses of the neuron cluster under full-screen switch-on and switch-off stimulation, we found that the delay coding was widespread in the OT region where the ON/OFF stimulation time difference was 4-6 ms. Information theory analysis under grating stimulation and experiments based on single-neuron character reconstruction of neurons showed that OT neuron clusters use the first spike latency (FSL) for the rapid transfer of spatial structure information. Furthermore, 4 models were used to predict the first spike latency of these OT neurons. The best simulation results were obtained using an architecture where the ON and OFF paths of multiple retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were integrated and summed, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songwei Wang
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Mengke Wang
- Industrial Technology Research Institute, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Zhizhong Wang
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Li Shi
- Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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11
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Reichenthal A, Ben-Tov M, Segev R. Coding Schemes in the Archerfish Optic Tectum. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:18. [PMID: 29559898 PMCID: PMC5845554 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Many studies have yielded valuable knowledge on the early visual system but it is biased since the studies have focused on terrestrial mammals alone. Here, to better account for visual systems in different environments and animal classes, we studied the structure of early visual processing in the archerfish which harnesses its extreme visual ability to hunt by shooting water jets at prey hanging on vegetation above the water. Thus, the archerfish provides a unique opportunity to study visual processing in a vertebrate which is an expert vision-guided predator with a very different brain structure than mammals. The receptive field structures in the archerfish (both sexes) optic tectum, the main visual processing region in the fish brain, were measured and linear non-linear cascades were used to analyze their properties. The findings indicate that the spatial receptive field structures lie on a continuum between circular and elliptical shapes. In addition, the cells' functional properties display a richness of response characteristics, since many cells could be captured by more than a single linear filter. Finally, the non-linear response functions that link linear filters and neuronal responses were found to be similar to the non-linear functions of models that describe terrestrial mammalian single cell activity. Overall our results help to better understand the early visual processing system across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Reichenthal
- Life Sciences Department and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Mor Ben-Tov
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Ronen Segev
- Life Sciences Department and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
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12
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Knudsen EI, Schwarz JS, Knudsen PF, Sridharan D. Space-Specific Deficits in Visual Orientation Discrimination Caused by Lesions in the Midbrain Stimulus Selection Network. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2053-2064.e5. [PMID: 28669762 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Perceptual decisions require both analysis of sensory information and selective routing of relevant information to decision networks. This study explores the contribution of a midbrain network to visual perception in chickens. Analysis of visual orientation information in birds takes place in the forebrain sensory area called the Wulst, as it does in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mammals. In contrast, the midbrain, which receives parallel retinal input, encodes orientation poorly, if at all. We discovered, however, that small electrolytic lesions in the midbrain severely impair a chicken's ability to discriminate orientations. Focal lesions were placed in the optic tectum (OT) and in the nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis (Ipc)-key nodes in the midbrain stimulus selection network-in chickens trained to perform an orientation discrimination task. A lesion in the OT caused a severe impairment in orientation discrimination specifically for targets at the location in space represented by the lesioned location. Distracting stimuli increased the deficit. A lesion in the Ipc produced similar but more transient effects. We discuss the possibilities that performance deficits were caused by interference with orientation information processing (sensory deficit) versus with the routing of information in the forebrain (agnosia). The data support the proposal that the OT transmits a space-specific signal that is required to gate orientation information from the Wulst into networks that mediate behavioral decisions, analogous to the role of ascending signals from the superior colliculus (SC) in monkeys. Furthermore, our results indicate a critical role for the cholinergic Ipc in this gating process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric I Knudsen
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Jason S Schwarz
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Phyllis F Knudsen
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Devarajan Sridharan
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.
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13
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Verhaal J, Luksch H. Neuronal responses to motion and apparent motion in the optic tectum of chickens. Brain Res 2016; 1635:190-200. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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14
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Abstract
The ability to detect motion is crucial for the survival of animals. In the avian optic tectum, motion-sensitive output neurons in the stratum griseum centrale have large dendritic fields and receive direct retinal input at their distal dendrites (bottlebrush endings). It has been hypothesized that the activation of each ending elicits a burst in the neuron. Thus, an object moving across the receptive field would lead to a fixed number of bursts, independent of movement speed. However, experimental confirmation of this hypothesis is still missing. We measured the response of tectal neurons to moving stimuli in vivo and found that in 'fast-bursting' units (~500 Hz within burst), the number of bursts was independent of stimulus speed. These results indicate that the number of bursts might indeed be related to the sequential activation of the bottlebrush endings by visual stimuli.
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15
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Rosa Salva O, Mayer U, Vallortigara G. Roots of a social brain: Developmental models of emerging animacy-detection mechanisms. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 50:150-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Revised: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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16
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Krabichler Q, Vega-Zuniga T, Morales C, Luksch H, Marín GJ. The visual system of a Palaeognathous bird: Visual field, retinal topography and retino-central connections in the Chilean Tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria). J Comp Neurol 2014; 523:226-50. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Quirin Krabichler
- Chair of Zoology, Technische Universität München; Freising-Weihenstephan Germany
| | - Tomas Vega-Zuniga
- Chair of Zoology, Technische Universität München; Freising-Weihenstephan Germany
| | - Cristian Morales
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Biología del Conocer; Departamento de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Santiago de Chile Chile
| | - Harald Luksch
- Chair of Zoology, Technische Universität München; Freising-Weihenstephan Germany
| | - Gonzalo J. Marín
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Biología del Conocer; Departamento de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Santiago de Chile Chile
- Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Finis Terrae; Santiago de Chile Chile
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