1
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Thieu MK, Ayzenberg V, Lourenco SF, Kragel PA. Visual looming is a primitive for human emotion. iScience 2024; 27:109886. [PMID: 38799577 PMCID: PMC11126809 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The neural computations for looming detection are strikingly similar across species. In mammals, information about approaching threats is conveyed from the retina to the midbrain superior colliculus, where approach variables are computed to enable defensive behavior. Although neuroscientific theories posit that midbrain representations contribute to emotion through connectivity with distributed brain systems, it remains unknown whether a computational system for looming detection can predict both defensive behavior and phenomenal experience in humans. Here, we show that a shallow convolutional neural network based on the Drosophila visual system predicts defensive blinking to looming objects in infants and superior colliculus responses to optical expansion in adults. Further, the neural network's responses to naturalistic video clips predict self-reported emotion largely by way of subjective arousal. These findings illustrate how a simple neural network architecture optimized for a species-general task relevant for survival explains motor and experiential components of human emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vladislav Ayzenberg
- Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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2
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DePiero VJ, Deng Z, Chen C, Savier EL, Chen H, Wei W, Cang J. Transformation of Motion Pattern Selectivity from Retina to Superior Colliculus. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1704232024. [PMID: 38569924 PMCID: PMC11097260 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1704-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a prominent and conserved visual center in all vertebrates. In mice, the most superficial lamina of the SC is enriched with neurons that are selective for the moving direction of visual stimuli. Here, we study how these direction selective neurons respond to complex motion patterns known as plaids, using two-photon calcium imaging in awake male and female mice. The plaid pattern consists of two superimposed sinusoidal gratings moving in different directions, giving an apparent pattern direction that lies between the directions of the two component gratings. Most direction selective neurons in the mouse SC respond robustly to the plaids and show a high selectivity for the moving direction of the plaid pattern but not of its components. Pattern motion selectivity is seen in both excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons and is especially prevalent in response to plaids with large cross angles between the two component gratings. However, retinal inputs to the SC are ambiguous in their selectivity to pattern versus component motion. Modeling suggests that pattern motion selectivity in the SC can arise from a nonlinear transformation of converging retinal inputs. In contrast, the prevalence of pattern motion selective neurons is not seen in the primary visual cortex (V1). These results demonstrate an interesting difference between the SC and V1 in motion processing and reveal the SC as an important site for encoding pattern motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor J DePiero
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Zixuan Deng
- Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Elise L Savier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
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3
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Rajendran Nair DS, Camarillo JCM, Lu G, Thomas BB. Measuring spatial visual loss in rats by retinotopic mapping of the superior colliculus using a novel multi-electrode array technique. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 405:110095. [PMID: 38403001 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2024.110095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The retinotopic map property of the superior colliculus (SC) is a reliable indicator of visual functional changes in rodents. Electrophysiological mapping of the SC using a single electrode has been employed for measuring visual function in rat and mouse disease models. Single electrode mapping is highly laborious requiring long-term exposure to the SC surface and prolonged anesthetic conditions that can adversely affect the mapping data. NEW METHOD To avoid the above-mentioned issues, we fabricated a fifty-six (56) electrode multi-electrode array (MEA) for rapid and reliable visual functional mapping of the SC. Since SC is a dome-shaped structure, the array was made of electrodes with dissimilar tip lengths to enable simultaneous and uniform penetration of the SC. RESULTS SC mapping using the new MEA was conducted in retinal degenerate (RD) Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats and rats with focal retinal damage induced by green diode laser. For SC mapping, the MEA was advanced into the SC surface and the visual activities were recorded during full-filed light stimulation of the eye. Based on the morphological examination, the MEA electrodes covered most of the exposed SC area and penetrated the SC surface at a relatively uniform depth. MEA mapping in RCS rats (n=9) demonstrated progressive development of a scotoma in the SC that corresponded to the degree of photoreceptor loss. MEA mapping in the laser damaged rats demonstrated the presence of a scotoma in the SC area that corresponded to the location of retinal laser injury. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS AND CONCLUSIONS The use of MEA for SC mapping is advantageous over single electrode recording by enabling faster recordings and reducing anesthesia time. This study establishes the feasibility of the MEA technique for rapid and efficient SC mapping, particularly advantageous for evaluating therapeutic effects in retinal degenerate rat disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepthi S Rajendran Nair
- Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, United States
| | - Juan Carlos-Martinez Camarillo
- Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, United States; USC Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, University of Southern California, United States
| | - Gengxi Lu
- Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, United States
| | - Biju B Thomas
- Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, United States; USC Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, University of Southern California, United States.
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4
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Ritter A, Habusha S, Givon L, Edut S, Klavir O. Prefrontal control of superior colliculus modulates innate escape behavior following adversity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2158. [PMID: 38461293 PMCID: PMC10925020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46460-z] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Innate defensive responses, though primarily instinctive, must also be highly adaptive to changes in risk assessment. However, adaptive changes can become maladaptive, following severe stress, as seen in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a series of experiments, we observed long-term changes in innate escape behavior of male mice towards a previously non-threatening stimulus following an adverse shock experience manifested as a shift in the threshold of threat response. By recording neural activity in the superior colliculus (SC) while phototagging specific responses to afferents, we established the crucial influence of input arriving at the SC from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), both directly and indirectly, on escape-related activity after adverse shock experience. Inactivating these specific projections during the shock effectively abolished the observed changes. Conversely, optogenetically activating them during encounters controlled escape responses. This establishes the necessity and sufficiency of those specific mPFC inputs into the SC for adverse experience related changes in innate escape behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ami Ritter
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomi Habusha
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lior Givon
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shahaf Edut
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Oded Klavir
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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Dai Z, Fu Q, Peng J, Li H. SLoN: a spiking looming perception network exploiting neural encoding and processing in ON/OFF channels. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1291053. [PMID: 38510466 PMCID: PMC10950957 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1291053] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Looming perception, the ability to sense approaching objects, is crucial for the survival of humans and animals. After hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary development, biological entities have evolved efficient and robust looming perception visual systems. However, current artificial vision systems fall short of such capabilities. In this study, we propose a novel spiking neural network for looming perception that mimics biological vision to communicate motion information through action potentials or spikes, providing a more realistic approach than previous artificial neural networks based on sum-then-activate operations. The proposed spiking looming perception network (SLoN) comprises three core components. Neural encoding, known as phase coding, transforms video signals into spike trains, introducing the concept of phase delay to depict the spatial-temporal competition between phasic excitatory and inhibitory signals shaping looming selectivity. To align with biological substrates where visual signals are bifurcated into parallel ON/OFF channels encoding brightness increments and decrements separately to achieve specific selectivity to ON/OFF-contrast stimuli, we implement eccentric down-sampling at the entrance of ON/OFF channels, mimicking the foveal region of the mammalian receptive field with higher acuity to motion, computationally modeled with a leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neuronal network. The SLoN model is deliberately tested under various visual collision scenarios, ranging from synthetic to real-world stimuli. A notable achievement is that the SLoN selectively spikes for looming features concealed in visual streams against other categories of movements, including translating, receding, grating, and near misses, demonstrating robust selectivity in line with biological principles. Additionally, the efficacy of the ON/OFF channels, the phase coding with delay, and the eccentric visual processing are further investigated to demonstrate their effectiveness in looming perception. The cornerstone of this study rests upon showcasing a new paradigm for looming perception that is more biologically plausible in light of biological motion perception.
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Yuan M, Jin S, Tan G, Song S, Liu Y, Wang H, Shen Y. A Non-canonical Excitatory PV RGC-PV SC Visual Pathway for Mediating the Looming-evoked Innate Defensive Response. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:310-324. [PMID: 37302108 PMCID: PMC10912393 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01076-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Parvalbumin-positive retinal ganglion cells (PV+ RGCs) are an essential subset of RGCs found in various species. However, their role in transmitting visual information remains unclear. Here, we characterized PV+ RGCs in the retina and explored the functions of the PV+ RGC-mediated visual pathway. By applying multiple viral tracing strategies, we investigated the downstream of PV+ RGCs across the whole brain. Interestingly, we found that the PV+ RGCs provided direct monosynaptic input to PV+ excitatory neurons in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC). Ablation or suppression of SC-projecting PV+ RGCs abolished or severely impaired the flight response to looming visual stimuli in mice without affecting visual acuity. Furthermore, using transcriptome expression profiling of individual cells and immunofluorescence colocalization for RGCs, we found that PV+ RGCs are predominant glutamatergic neurons. Thus, our findings indicate the critical role of PV+ RGCs in an innate defensive response and suggest a non-canonical subcortical visual pathway from excitatory PV+ RGCs to PV+ SC neurons that regulates looming visual stimuli. These results provide a potential target for intervening and treating diseases related to this circuit, such as schizophrenia and autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Yuan
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Sen Jin
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Viral Vectors for Biomedicine, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, National Medical Products Administration Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Viral Vector Technology in Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Quality Control Technology for Virus-Based Therapeutics, Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Center for Magnetic Resonance, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, CAS, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Gao Tan
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Siyuan Song
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, USA
| | - Yizong Liu
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Huadong Wang
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Viral Vectors for Biomedicine, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, National Medical Products Administration Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Viral Vector Technology in Cell and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Quality Control Technology for Virus-Based Therapeutics, Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Center for Magnetic Resonance, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, CAS, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yin Shen
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China.
- Frontier Science Center of Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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7
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Zeng T, Zhao Y, Cao B, Jia J. Perception of visual variance is mediated by subcortical mechanisms. Brain Cogn 2024; 175:106131. [PMID: 38219416 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Variance characterizes the structure of the environment. This statistical concept plays a critical role in evaluating the reliability of evidence for human decision-making. The present study examined the involvement of subcortical structures in the processing of visual variance. To this end, we used a stereoscope to sequentially present two circle arrays in a dichoptic or monocular fashion while participants compared the perceived variance of the two arrays. In Experiment 1, two arrays were presented monocularly to the same eye, dichopticly to different eyes, or binocularly to both eyes. The variance judgment was less accurate in different-eye condition than the other conditions. In Experiment 2, the first circle array was split into a large-variance and a small-variance set, with either the large-variance or small-variance set preceding the presentation of the second circle array in the same eye. The variance of the first array was judged larger when the second array was preceded by the large-variance set in the same eye, showing that the perception of variance was modulated by the visual variance processed in the same eye. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for monocular processing of visual variance, suggesting that subcortical structures capture the statistical structure of the visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zeng
- Department of Psychology, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, Jiangxi, China; School of Education, Nanchang Normal College of Applied Technology, Nanchang 330108, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yuqing Zhao
- Department of Psychology, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
| | - Bihua Cao
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Jianrong Jia
- Department of Psychology, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China.
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8
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Wang J, Rao X, Huang S, Wang Z, Niu X, Zhu M, Wang S, Shi L. Detection of a temporal salient object benefits from visual stimulus-specific adaptation in avian midbrain inhibitory nucleus. Integr Zool 2024; 19:288-306. [PMID: 36893724 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12715] [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] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Food and predators are the most noteworthy objects for the basic survival of wild animals, and both are often deviant in both spatial and temporal domains and quickly attract an animal's attention. Although stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is considered a potential neural basis of salient sound detection in the temporal domain, related research on visual SSA is limited and its relationship with temporal saliency is uncertain. The avian nucleus isthmi pars magnocellularis (Imc), which is central to midbrain selective attention network, is an ideal site to investigate the neural correlate of visual SSA and detection of a salient object in the time domain. Here, the constant order paradigm was applied to explore the visual SSA in the Imc of pigeons. The results showed that the firing rates of Imc neurons gradually decrease with repetitions of motion in the same direction, but recover when a motion in a deviant direction is presented, implying visual SSA to the direction of a moving object. Furthermore, enhanced response for an object moving in other directions that were not presented ever in the paradigm is also observed. To verify the neural mechanism underlying these phenomena, we introduced a neural computation model involving a recoverable synaptic change with a "center-surround" pattern to reproduce the visual SSA and temporal saliency for the moving object. These results suggest that the Imc produces visual SSA to motion direction, allowing temporal salient object detection, which may facilitate the detection of the sudden appearance of a predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Wang
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuman Huang
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhizhong Wang
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoke Niu
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Minjie Zhu
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Songwei Wang
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Li Shi
- Department of Automation, Zhengzhou University School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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9
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Thieu MK, Ayzenberg V, Lourenco SF, Kragel PA. Visual looming is a primitive for human emotion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.29.555380. [PMID: 37693448 PMCID: PMC10491236 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.29.555380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Looming objects afford threat of collision across the animal kingdom. Defensive responses to looming and neural computations for looming detection are strikingly conserved across species. In mammals, information about rapidly approaching threats is conveyed from the retina to the midbrain superior colliculus, where variables that indicate the position and velocity of approach are computed to enable defensive behavior. Although neuroscientific theories posit that midbrain representations contribute to emotion through connectivity with distributed brain systems, it remains unknown whether a computational system for looming detection can predict both defensive behavior and phenomenal experience in humans. Here, we show that a shallow convolutional neural network based on the Drosophila visual system predicts defensive blinking to looming objects in infants and superior colliculus responses to optical expansion in adults. Further, the responses of the convolutional network to a broad array of naturalistic video clips predict self-reported emotion largely on the basis of subjective arousal. Our findings illustrate how motor and experiential components of human emotion relate to species-general systems for survival in unpredictable environments.
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10
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Melleu FF, Canteras NS. Pathways from the Superior Colliculus to the Basal Ganglia. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:1431-1453. [PMID: 37702174 PMCID: PMC11097988 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230911102118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The present work aims to review the structural organization of the mammalian superior colliculus (SC), the putative pathways connecting the SC and the basal ganglia, and their role in organizing complex behavioral output. First, we review how the complex intrinsic connections between the SC's laminae projections allow for the construction of spatially aligned, visual-multisensory maps of the surrounding environment. Moreover, we present a summary of the sensory-motor inputs of the SC, including a description of the integration of multi-sensory inputs relevant to behavioral control. We further examine the major descending outputs toward the brainstem and spinal cord. As the central piece of this review, we provide a thorough analysis covering the putative interactions between the SC and the basal ganglia. To this end, we explore the diverse thalamic routes by which information from the SC may reach the striatum, including the pathways through the lateral posterior, parafascicular, and rostral intralaminar thalamic nuclei. We also examine the interactions between the SC and subthalamic nucleus, representing an additional pathway for the tectal modulation of the basal ganglia. Moreover, we discuss how information from the SC might also be relayed to the basal ganglia through midbrain tectonigral and tectotegmental projections directed at the substantia nigra compacta and ventrotegmental area, respectively, influencing the dopaminergic outflow to the dorsal and ventral striatum. We highlight the vast interplay between the SC and the basal ganglia and raise several missing points that warrant being addressed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
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11
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Molotkov D, Ferrarese L, Boissonnet T, Asari H. Topographic axonal projection at single-cell precision supports local retinotopy in the mouse superior colliculus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7418. [PMID: 37973798 PMCID: PMC10654506 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43218-x] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinotopy, like all long-range projections, can arise from the axons themselves or their targets. The underlying connectivity pattern, however, remains elusive at the fine scale in the mammalian brain. To address this question, we functionally mapped the spatial organization of the input axons and target neurons in the female mouse retinocollicular pathway at single-cell resolution using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. We found a near-perfect retinotopic tiling of retinal ganglion cell axon terminals, with an average error below 30 μm or 2° of visual angle. The precision of retinotopy was relatively lower for local neurons in the superior colliculus. Subsequent data-driven modeling ascribed it to a low input convergence, on average 5.5 retinal ganglion cell inputs per postsynaptic cell in the superior colliculus. These results indicate that retinotopy arises largely from topographically precise input from presynaptic cells, rather than elaborating local circuitry to reconstruct the topography by postsynaptic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Molotkov
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, 00015, Italy
| | - Leiron Ferrarese
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, 00015, Italy
| | - Tom Boissonnet
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, 00015, Italy
- Collaboration for joint PhD degree between EMBL and Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, La Tronche, 38700, France
- Center for Advanced Imaging, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
| | - Hiroki Asari
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, 00015, Italy.
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12
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Li Z, Peng B, Huang JJ, Zhang Y, Seo MB, Fang Q, Zhang GW, Zhang X, Zhang LI, Tao HW. Enhancement and contextual modulation of visuospatial processing by thalamocollicular projections from ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7278. [PMID: 37949869 PMCID: PMC10638288 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the mammalian visual system, the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) of the thalamus receives salient visual input from the retina and sends prominent GABAergic axons to the superior colliculus (SC). However, whether and how vLGN contributes to fundamental visual information processing remains largely unclear. Here, we report in mice that vLGN facilitates visually-guided approaching behavior mediated by the lateral SC and enhances the sensitivity of visual object detection. This can be attributed to the extremely broad spatial integration of vLGN neurons, as reflected in their much lower preferred spatial frequencies and broader spatial receptive fields than SC neurons. Through GABAergic thalamocollicular projections, vLGN specifically exerts prominent surround suppression of visuospatial processing in SC, leading to a fine tuning of SC preferences to higher spatial frequencies and smaller objects in a context-dependent manner. Thus, as an essential component of the central visual processing pathway, vLGN serves to refine and contextually modulate visuospatial processing in SC-mediated visuomotor behaviors via visually-driven long-range feedforward inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Li
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Bo Peng
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Junxiang J Huang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Michelle B Seo
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Qi Fang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Guang-Wei Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li I Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
| | - Huizhong Whit Tao
- Center for Neural Circuits and Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
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13
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de Malmazet D, Tripodi M. Collicular circuits supporting the perceptual, motor and cognitive demands of ethological environments. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 82:102773. [PMID: 37619424 PMCID: PMC10765087 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102773] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Animals evolve to survive in their environment. Accordingly, a reasonable hypothesis is that brain evolution prioritises the processing of useful sensory information over complete representation of the surroundings. The superior colliculus or tectum is a brain area that processes the animal's surroundings and directs movements in space. Here, we review recent studies on the role of the superior colliculus to assess the validity of this "utility hypothesis". We discuss how the response properties of collicular neurons vary across anatomical regions to capture ethologically relevant stimuli at a given portion of the sensory field. Next, we focus on the recent advances dissecting the role of defined types of sensory and motor neurons of the colliculus in prey capture. Finally, we discuss the recent literature describing how this ancient structure, with neural circuits over 500 million years old, implements the necessary degree of cognitive control for flexible sensorimotor transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Tripodi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. https://twitter.com/martripodi
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14
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Chinta S, Pluta SR. Neural mechanisms for the localization of unexpected external motion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6112. [PMID: 37777516 PMCID: PMC10542789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41755-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To localize objects during active sensing, animals must differentiate stimuli caused by volitional movement from real-world object motion. To determine a neural basis for this ability, we examined the mouse superior colliculus (SC), which contains multiple egocentric maps of sensorimotor space. By placing mice in a whisker-guided virtual reality, we discovered a rapidly adapting tactile response that transiently emerged during externally generated gains in whisker contact. Responses to self-generated touch that matched self-generated history were significantly attenuated, revealing that transient response magnitude is controlled by sensorimotor predictions. The magnitude of the transient response gradually decreased with repetitions in external motion, revealing a slow habituation based on external history. The direction of external motion was accurately encoded in the firing rates of transiently responsive neurons. These data reveal that whisker-specific adaptation and sensorimotor predictions in SC neurons enhance the localization of unexpected, externally generated changes in tactile space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suma Chinta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Scott R Pluta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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15
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Li C, Kühn NK, Alkislar I, Sans-Dublanc A, Zemmouri F, Paesmans S, Calzoni A, Ooms F, Reinhard K, Farrow K. Pathway-specific inputs to the superior colliculus support flexible responses to visual threat. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade3874. [PMID: 37647395 PMCID: PMC10468139 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade3874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility requires directing feedforward sensory information to appropriate targets. In the superior colliculus, divergent outputs orchestrate different responses to visual threats, but the circuit organization enabling the flexible routing of sensory information remains unknown. To determine this structure, we focused on inhibitory projection (Gad2) neurons. Trans-synaptic tracing and neuronal recordings revealed that Gad2 neurons projecting to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the parabigeminal nucleus (PBG) form two separate populations, each receiving a different set of non-retinal inputs. Inhibiting the LGN- or PBG-projecting Gad2 neurons resulted in opposing effects on behavior; increasing freezing or escape probability to visual looming, respectively. Optogenetic activation of selected inputs to the LGN- and PBG-projecting Gad2 cells predictably regulated responses to visual threat. These data suggest that projection-specific sampling of brain-wide inputs provides a circuit design principle that enables visual inputs to be selectively routed to produce context-specific behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Li
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Norma K. Kühn
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilayda Alkislar
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Arnau Sans-Dublanc
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Firdaouss Zemmouri
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Soraya Paesmans
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alex Calzoni
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frédérique Ooms
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Imec, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karl Farrow
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Imec, Leuven, Belgium
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16
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Khalil V, Faress I, Mermet-Joret N, Kerwin P, Yonehara K, Nabavi S. Subcortico-amygdala pathway processes innate and learned threats. eLife 2023; 12:e85459. [PMID: 37526552 PMCID: PMC10449383 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85459] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility and timely reactions to salient stimuli are essential for survival. The subcortical thalamic-basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathway serves as a shortcut for salient stimuli ensuring rapid processing. Here, we show that BLA neuronal and thalamic axonal activity in mice mirror the defensive behavior evoked by an innate visual threat as well as an auditory learned threat. Importantly, perturbing this pathway compromises defensive responses to both forms of threats, in that animals fail to switch from exploratory to defensive behavior. Despite the shared pathway between the two forms of threat processing, we observed noticeable differences. Blocking β-adrenergic receptors impairs the defensive response to the innate but not the learned threats. This reduced defensive response, surprisingly, is reflected in the suppression of the activity exclusively in the BLA as the thalamic input response remains intact. Our side-by-side examination highlights the similarities and differences between innate and learned threat-processing, thus providing new fundamental insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Khalil
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Islam Faress
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Noëmie Mermet-Joret
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Peter Kerwin
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Multiscale Sensory Structure Laboratory, National Institute of GeneticsMishimaJapan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)MishimaJapan
| | - Sadegh Nabavi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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17
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Baier F, Reinhard K, Tong V, Murmann J, Farrow K, Hoekstra HE. The neural basis of defensive behaviour evolution in Peromyscus mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.04.547734. [PMID: 37461474 PMCID: PMC10350006 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.04.547734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Evading imminent predator threat is critical for survival. Effective defensive strategies can vary, even between closely related species. However, the neural basis of such species-specific behaviours is still poorly understood. Here we find that two sister species of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) show different responses to the same looming stimulus: P. maniculatus, which occupy densely vegetated habitats, predominantly dart to escape, while the open field specialist, P. polionotus, pause their movement. This difference arises from species-specific escape thresholds, is largely context-independent, and can be triggered by both visual and auditory threat stimuli. Using immunohistochemistry and electrophysiological recordings, we find that although visual threat activates the superior colliculus in both species, the role of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) in driving behaviour differs. While dPAG activity scales with running speed and involves both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in P. maniculatus, the dPAG is largely silent in P. polionotus, even when darting is triggered. Moreover, optogenetic activation of excitatory dPAG neurons reliably elicits darting behaviour in P. maniculatus but not P. polionotus. Together, we trace the evolution of species-specific escape thresholds to a central circuit node, downstream of peripheral sensory neurons, localizing an ecologically relevant behavioural difference to a specific region of the complex mammalian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Baier
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Present address: Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy
| | - Victoria Tong
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julie Murmann
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Institute of Science & Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Karl Farrow
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- imec, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hopi E. Hoekstra
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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18
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Liu Y, Savier EL, DePiero VJ, Chen C, Schwalbe DC, Abraham-Fan RJ, Chen H, Campbell JN, Cang J. Mapping visual functions onto molecular cell types in the mouse superior colliculus. Neuron 2023; 111:1876-1886.e5. [PMID: 37086721 PMCID: PMC10330256 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
The superficial superior colliculus (sSC) carries out diverse roles in visual processing and behaviors, but how these functions are delegated among collicular neurons remains unclear. Here, using single-cell transcriptomics, we identified 28 neuron subtypes and subtype-enriched marker genes from tens of thousands of adult mouse sSC neurons. We then asked whether the sSC's molecular subtypes are tuned to different visual stimuli. Specifically, we imaged calcium dynamics in single sSC neurons in vivo during visual stimulation and then mapped marker gene transcripts onto the same neurons ex vivo. Our results identify a molecular subtype of inhibitory neuron accounting for ∼50% of the sSC's direction-selective cells, suggesting a genetic logic for the functional organization of the sSC. In addition, our studies provide a comprehensive molecular atlas of sSC neuron subtypes and a multimodal mapping method that will facilitate investigation of their respective functions, connectivity, and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanming Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Elise L Savier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Victor J DePiero
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Dana C Schwalbe
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | | | - Hui Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - John N Campbell
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
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19
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Jauch I, Kamm J, Benn L, Rettig L, Friederich HC, Tesarz J, Kuner T, Wieland S. 2MDR, a Microcomputer-Controlled Visual Stimulation Device for Psychotherapy-Like Treatments of Mice. eNeuro 2023; 10:10/6/ENEURO.0394-22.2023. [PMID: 37268421 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0394-22.2023] [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: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental disorders can be treated by an established psychotherapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In EMDR, patients are confronted with traumatic memories while they are stimulated with alternating bilateral stimuli (ABS). How ABS affects the brain and whether ABS could be adapted to different patients or mental disorders is unknown. Interestingly, ABS reduced conditioned fear in mice. Yet, an approach to systematically test complex visual stimuli and compare respective differences in emotional processing based on semiautomated/automated behavioral analysis is lacking. We developed 2MDR (MultiModal Visual Stimulation to Desensitize Rodents), a novel, open-source, low-cost, customizable device that can be integrated in and transistor-transistor logic (TTL) controlled by commercial rodent behavioral setups. 2MDR allows the design and precise steering of multimodal visual stimuli in the head direction of freely moving mice. Optimized videography allows semiautomatic analysis of rodent behavior during visual stimulation. Detailed building, integration, and treatment instructions along with open-source software provide easy access for inexperienced users. Using 2MDR, we confirmed that EMDR-like ABS persistently improves fear extinction in mice and showed for the first time that ABS-mediated anxiolytic effects strongly depend on physical stimulus properties such as ABS brightness. 2MDR not only enables researchers to interfere with mouse behavior in an EMDR-like setting, but also demonstrates that visual stimuli can be used as a noninvasive brain stimulation to differentially alter emotional processing in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isa Jauch
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Kamm
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luca Benn
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lukas Rettig
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Friederich
- Department of General Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jonas Tesarz
- Department of General Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kuner
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wieland
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of General Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
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20
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Wu Q, Zhang Y. Neural Circuit Mechanisms Involved in Animals' Detection of and Response to Visual Threats. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:994-1008. [PMID: 36694085 PMCID: PMC10264346 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01021-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Evading or escaping from predators is one of the most crucial issues for survival across the animal kingdom. The timely detection of predators and the initiation of appropriate fight-or-flight responses are innate capabilities of the nervous system. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of innate visually-triggered defensive behaviors and the underlying neural circuit mechanisms, and a comparison among vinegar flies, zebrafish, and mice is included. This overview covers the anatomical and functional aspects of the neural circuits involved in this process, including visual threat processing and identification, the selection of appropriate behavioral responses, and the initiation of these innate defensive behaviors. The emphasis of this review is on the early stages of this pathway, namely, threat identification from complex visual inputs and how behavioral choices are influenced by differences in visual threats. We also briefly cover how the innate defensive response is processed centrally. Based on these summaries, we discuss coding strategies for visual threats and propose a common prototypical pathway for rapid innate defensive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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21
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Teh KL, Sibille J, Gehr C, Kremkow J. Retinal waves align the concentric orientation map in mouse superior colliculus to the center of vision. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf4240. [PMID: 37172095 PMCID: PMC10181181 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the mouse superior colliculus (SC) are arranged in a concentric orientation map, which is aligned to the center of vision and the optic flow experienced by the mouse. The origin of this map remains unclear. Here, we propose that spontaneous retinal waves during development provide a scaffold to establish the concentric orientation map within the SC and its alignment to the optic flow. We test this hypothesis by modeling the orientation-tuned SC neurons that receive ON/OFF retinal inputs. Our model suggests that the propagation direction bias of stage III retinal waves, together with OFF-delayed responses, shapes the spatial organization of the orientation map. The OFF delay establishes orientation-tuned neurons by segregating their ON/OFF receptive subfields, the wave-like activities form the concentric pattern, and the direction biases align the map to the center of vision. Together, retinal waves may play an instructive role in establishing functional properties of single SC neurons and their spatial organization within maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Lun Teh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jérémie Sibille
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carolin Gehr
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jens Kremkow
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Benarroch E. What Are the Functions of the Superior Colliculus and Its Involvement in Neurologic Disorders? Neurology 2023; 100:784-790. [PMID: 37068960 PMCID: PMC10115501 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
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23
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Zylbertal A, Bianco IH. Recurrent network interactions explain tectal response variability and experience-dependent behavior. eLife 2023; 12:78381. [PMID: 36943029 PMCID: PMC10030118 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Response variability is an essential and universal feature of sensory processing and behavior. It arises from fluctuations in the internal state of the brain, which modulate how sensory information is represented and transformed to guide behavioral actions. In part, brain state is shaped by recent network activity, fed back through recurrent connections to modulate neuronal excitability. However, the degree to which these interactions influence response variability and the spatial and temporal scales across which they operate, are poorly understood. Here, we combined population recordings and modeling to gain insights into how neuronal activity modulates network state and thereby impacts visually evoked activity and behavior. First, we performed cellular-resolution calcium imaging of the optic tectum to monitor ongoing activity, the pattern of which is both a cause and consequence of changes in network state. We developed a minimal network model incorporating fast, short range, recurrent excitation and long-lasting, activity-dependent suppression that reproduced a hallmark property of tectal activity - intermittent bursting. We next used the model to estimate the excitability state of tectal neurons based on recent activity history and found that this explained a portion of the trial-to-trial variability in visually evoked responses, as well as spatially selective response adaptation. Moreover, these dynamics also predicted behavioral trends such as selective habituation of visually evoked prey-catching. Overall, we demonstrate that a simple recurrent interaction motif can be used to estimate the effect of activity upon the incidental state of a neural network and account for experience-dependent effects on sensory encoding and visually guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asaph Zylbertal
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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24
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Sawant Y, Kundu JN, Radhakrishnan VB, Sridharan D. A Midbrain Inspired Recurrent Neural Network Model for Robust Change Detection. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8262-8283. [PMID: 36123120 PMCID: PMC9653281 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0164-22.2022] [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: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a biologically inspired recurrent neural network (RNN) that efficiently detects changes in natural images. The model features sparse, topographic connectivity (st-RNN), closely modeled on the circuit architecture of a "midbrain attention network." We deployed the st-RNN in a challenging change blindness task, in which changes must be detected in a discontinuous sequence of images. Compared with a conventional RNN, the st-RNN learned 9x faster and achieved state-of-the-art performance with 15x fewer connections. An analysis of low-dimensional dynamics revealed putative circuit mechanisms, including a critical role for a global inhibitory (GI) motif, for successful change detection. The model reproduced key experimental phenomena, including midbrain neurons' sensitivity to dynamic stimuli, neural signatures of stimulus competition, as well as hallmark behavioral effects of midbrain microstimulation. Finally, the model accurately predicted human gaze fixations in a change blindness experiment, surpassing state-of-the-art saliency-based methods. The st-RNN provides a novel deep learning model for linking neural computations underlying change detection with psychophysical mechanisms.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT For adaptive survival, our brains must be able to accurately and rapidly detect changing aspects of our visual world. We present a novel deep learning model, a sparse, topographic recurrent neural network (st-RNN), that mimics the neuroanatomy of an evolutionarily conserved "midbrain attention network." The st-RNN achieved robust change detection in challenging change blindness tasks, outperforming conventional RNN architectures. The model also reproduced hallmark experimental phenomena, both neural and behavioral, reported in seminal midbrain studies. Lastly, the st-RNN outperformed state-of-the-art models at predicting human gaze fixations in a laboratory change blindness experiment. Our deep learning model may provide important clues about key mechanisms by which the brain efficiently detects changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Sawant
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Jogendra Nath Kundu
- Department of Computational and Data Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | | | - Devarajan Sridharan
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Department of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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25
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A binocular perception deficit characterizes prey pursuit in developing mice. iScience 2022; 25:105368. [PMID: 36339264 PMCID: PMC9626674 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Integration of binocular information at the cellular level has long been studied in the mouse model to uncover the fundamental developmental mechanisms underlying mammalian vision. However, we lack an understanding of the corresponding ontogeny of visual behavior in mice that relies on binocular integration. To address this major outstanding question, we quantified the natural visually guided behavior of postnatal day 21 (P21) and adult mice using a live prey capture assay and a computerized-spontaneous perception of objects task (C-SPOT). We found a robust and specific binocular visual field processing deficit in P21 mice as compared to adults that corresponded to a selective increase in c-Fos expression in the anterior superior colliculus (SC) of the juveniles after C-SPOT. These data link a specific binocular perception deficit in developing mice to activity changes in the SC.
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26
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High-density electrode recordings reveal strong and specific connections between retinal ganglion cells and midbrain neurons. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5218. [PMID: 36064789 PMCID: PMC9445019 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32775-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus is a midbrain structure that plays important roles in visually guided behaviors in mammals. Neurons in the superior colliculus receive inputs from retinal ganglion cells but how these inputs are integrated in vivo is unknown. Here, we discovered that high-density electrodes simultaneously capture the activity of retinal axons and their postsynaptic target neurons in the superior colliculus, in vivo. We show that retinal ganglion cell axons in the mouse provide a single cell precise representation of the retina as input to superior colliculus. This isomorphic mapping builds the scaffold for precise retinotopic wiring and functionally specific connection strength. Our methods are broadly applicable, which we demonstrate by recording retinal inputs in the optic tectum in zebra finches. We find common wiring rules in mice and zebra finches that provide a precise representation of the visual world encoded in retinal ganglion cells connections to neurons in retinorecipient areas. The superior colliculus receives visual information from retinal ganglion cells, but it remains unclear how this information is organized and integrated in vivo. Here the authors describe how high-density electrodes can simultaneously capture the activity of incoming axons and target neurons in the superior colliculus, and demonstrate isomorphic mapping and strong and specific connections in mice and zebrafinches.
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Liu D, Li S, Ren L, Li X, Wang Z. The superior colliculus/lateral posterior thalamic nuclei in mice rapidly transmit fear visual information through the theta frequency band. Neuroscience 2022; 496:230-240. [PMID: 35724770 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.06.021] [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: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Animals perceive threat information mainly from vision, and the subcortical visual pathway plays a critical role in the rapid processing of fear visual information. The superior colliculus (SC) and lateral posterior (LP) nuclei of the thalamus are key components of the subcortical visual pathway; however, how animals encode and transmit fear visual information is unclear. To evaluate the response characteristics of neurons in SC and LP thalamic nuclei under fear visual stimuli, extracellular action potentials (spikes) and local field potential signals were recorded under looming and dimming visual stimuli. The results showed that both SC and LP thalamic nuclei were strongly responsive to looming visual stimuli but not sensitive to dimming visual stimuli. Under the looming visual stimulus, the theta (θ) frequency bands of both nuclei showed obvious oscillations, which markedly enhanced the synchronization between neurons. The functional network characteristics also indicated that the network connection density and information transmission efficiency were higher under fear visual stimuli. These findings suggest that both SC and LP thalamic nuclei can effectively identify threatening fear visual information and rapidly transmit it between nuclei through the θ frequency band. This discovery can provide a basis for subsequent coding and decoding studies in the subcortical visual pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denghui Liu
- School of Electric Engineering, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology
| | - Shouhao Li
- School of Electric Engineering, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology
| | - Liqing Ren
- School of Electric Engineering, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology
| | - Xiaoyuan Li
- School of Electric Engineering, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology.
| | - Zhenlong Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology; School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China.
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28
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Jure R. The “Primitive Brain Dysfunction” Theory of Autism: The Superior Colliculus Role. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:797391. [PMID: 35712344 PMCID: PMC9194533 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.797391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the pathogenesis of autism will help clarify our conception of the complexity of normal brain development. The crucial deficit may lie in the postnatal changes that vision produces in the brainstem nuclei during early life. The superior colliculus is the primary brainstem visual center. Although difficult to examine in humans with present techniques, it is known to support behaviors essential for every vertebrate to survive, such as the ability to pay attention to relevant stimuli and to produce automatic motor responses based on sensory input. From birth to death, it acts as a brain sentinel that influences basic aspects of our behavior. It is the main brainstem hub that lies between the environment and the rest of the higher neural system, making continuous, implicit decisions about where to direct our attention. The conserved cortex-like organization of the superior colliculus in all vertebrates allows the early appearance of primitive emotionally-related behaviors essential for survival. It contains first-line specialized neurons enabling the detection and tracking of faces and movements from birth. During development, it also sends the appropriate impulses to help shape brain areas necessary for social-communicative abilities. These abilities require the analysis of numerous variables, such as the simultaneous evaluation of incoming information sustained by separate brain networks (visual, auditory and sensory-motor, social, emotional, etc.), and predictive capabilities which compare present events to previous experiences and possible responses. These critical aspects of decision-making allow us to evaluate the impact that our response or behavior may provoke in others. The purpose of this review is to show that several enigmas about the complexity of autism might be explained by disruptions of collicular and brainstem functions. The results of two separate lines of investigation: 1. the cognitive, etiologic, and pathogenic aspects of autism on one hand, and two. the functional anatomy of the colliculus on the other, are considered in order to bridge the gap between basic brain science and clinical studies and to promote future research in this unexplored area.
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Lenzi SC, Cossell L, Grainger B, Olesen SF, Branco T, Margrie TW. Threat history controls flexible escape behavior in mice. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2972-2979.e3. [PMID: 35659863 PMCID: PMC9616793 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In many instances, external sensory-evoked neuronal activity is used by the brain to select the most appropriate behavioral response. Predator-avoidance behaviors such as freezing and escape1,2 are of particular interest since these stimulus-evoked responses are behavioral manifestations of a decision-making process that is fundamental to survival.3,4 Over the lifespan of an individual, however, the threat value of agents in the environment is believed to undergo constant revision,5 and in some cases, repeated avoidance of certain stimuli may no longer be an optimal behavioral strategy.6 To begin to study this type of adaptive control of decision-making, we devised an experimental paradigm to probe the properties of threat escape in the laboratory mouse Mus musculus. First, we found that while robust escape to visual looming stimuli can be observed after 2 days of social isolation, mice can also rapidly learn that such stimuli are non-threatening. This learned suppression of escape (LSE) is extremely robust and can persist for weeks and is not a generalized adaptation, since flight responses to novel live prey and auditory threat stimuli in the same environmental context were maintained. We also show that LSE cannot be explained by trial number or a simple form of stimulus desensitization since it is dependent on threat-escape history. We propose that the action selection process mediating escape behavior is constantly updated by recent threat history and that LSE can be used as a robust model system to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying experience-dependent decision-making. Individually housed, but not group-housed, mice show robust escape to looming stimuli Mice can learn to suppress escape, and LSE memory is long lasting LSE is not a general adaptation since it is stimulus specific LSE is not simply habituation and is dependent on recent threat-escape experience
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Lenzi
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Lee Cossell
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Benjamin Grainger
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Sarah F Olesen
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Tiago Branco
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Troy W Margrie
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG, UK.
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30
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Tangential high-density electrode insertions allow to simultaneously measure neuronal activity across an extended region of the visual field in mouse superior colliculus. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 376:109622. [PMID: 35525463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The superior colliculus (SC) is a midbrain structure that plays a central role in visual processing. Although we have learned a considerable amount about the function of single SC neurons, the way in which sensory information is represented and processed on the population level in awake behaving animals and across a large region of the retinotopic map is still largely unknown. Partially because the SC is anatomically located below the cortical sheet and the transverse sinus, which render the measure of neuronal activity from a large population of neurons in the SC technically difficult to perform. NEW METHOD To address this, we propose a tangential recording configuration using high-density electrode probes (Neuropixels) in mouse SC in vivo. This method permits a large number of recording sites (~200) inside the SC circuitry allowing to record from a large population of SC neurons along a vast area of retinotopic space. RESULTS This approach provides a unique opportunity to measure the activity of SC neuronal populations over up to ~2mm of SC tissue reporting for the first time the continuous receptive fields coverage of almost the entire SC retinotopy. Here we describe how to perform targeted tangential recordings along the anterior-posterior and the medio-lateral axis of the mouse SC in vivo in the upper visual layers. Furthermore, we describe how to combine this approach with optogenetic tools for cell-type identification on the population level. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Vertical insertion has been a standard way to record visual responses in the SC. Inserting multi-shank probes vertically allows to cover a larger region of the SC but misses both the complete extent of the available retinotopy and the continuous measure allowed by the high density of recording sites on Neuropixels probes. CONCLUSION Altogether tangential insertions in the upper visual layers of the mouse SC using Neuropixels permit for the first time to access a majority of the retinotopically organized visual representation of the world at an unprecedented precision.
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31
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Wheatcroft T, Saleem AB, Solomon SG. Functional Organisation of the Mouse Superior Colliculus. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:792959. [PMID: 35601532 PMCID: PMC9118347 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.792959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a highly conserved area of the mammalian midbrain that is widely implicated in the organisation and control of behaviour. SC receives input from a large number of brain areas, and provides outputs to a large number of areas. The convergence and divergence of anatomical connections with different areas and systems provides challenges for understanding how SC contributes to behaviour. Recent work in mouse has provided large anatomical datasets, and a wealth of new data from experiments that identify and manipulate different cells within SC, and their inputs and outputs, during simple behaviours. These data offer an opportunity to better understand the roles that SC plays in these behaviours. However, some of the observations appear, at first sight, to be contradictory. Here we review this recent work and hypothesise a simple framework which can capture the observations, that requires only a small change to previous models. Specifically, the functional organisation of SC can be explained by supposing that three largely distinct circuits support three largely distinct classes of simple behaviours-arrest, turning towards, and the triggering of escape or capture. These behaviours are hypothesised to be supported by the optic, intermediate and deep layers, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samuel G. Solomon
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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32
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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: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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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33
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Burlingham CS, Mirbagheri S, Heeger DJ. A unified model of the task-evoked pupil response. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabi9979. [PMID: 35442730 PMCID: PMC9020670 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi9979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The pupil dilates and reconstricts following task events. It is popular to model this task-evoked pupil response as a linear transformation of event-locked impulses, whose amplitudes are used as estimates of arousal. We show that this model is incorrect and propose an alternative model based on the physiological finding that a common neural input drives saccades and pupil size. The estimates of arousal from our model agreed with key predictions: Arousal scaled with task difficulty and behavioral performance but was invariant to small differences in trial duration. Moreover, the model offers a unified explanation for a wide range of phenomena: entrainment of pupil size and saccades to task timing, modulation of pupil response amplitude and noise with task difficulty, reaction time-dependent modulation of pupil response timing and amplitude, a constrictory pupil response time-locked to saccades, and task-dependent distortion of this saccade-locked pupil response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saghar Mirbagheri
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David J. Heeger
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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34
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Abstract
Retinal circuits transform the pixel representation of photoreceptors into the feature representations of ganglion cells, whose axons transmit these representations to the brain. Functional, morphological, and transcriptomic surveys have identified more than 40 retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types in mice. RGCs extract features of varying complexity; some simply signal local differences in brightness (i.e., luminance contrast), whereas others detect specific motion trajectories. To understand the retina, we need to know how retinal circuits give rise to the diverse RGC feature representations. A catalog of the RGC feature set, in turn, is fundamental to understanding visual processing in the brain. Anterograde tracing indicates that RGCs innervate more than 50 areas in the mouse brain. Current maps connecting RGC types to brain areas are rudimentary, as is our understanding of how retinal signals are transformed downstream to guide behavior. In this article, I review the feature selectivities of mouse RGCs, how they arise, and how they are utilized downstream. Not only is knowledge of the behavioral purpose of RGC signals critical for understanding the retinal contributions to vision; it can also guide us to the most relevant areas of visual feature space. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 8 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kerschensteiner
- John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Department of Neuroscience; Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA;
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35
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Leow YN, Zhou B, Sullivan HA, Barlowe AR, Wickersham IR, Sur M. Brain-wide mapping of inputs to the mouse lateral posterior (LP/Pulvinar) thalamus-anterior cingulate cortex network. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1992-2013. [PMID: 35383929 PMCID: PMC9167239 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The rodent homolog of the primate pulvinar, the lateral posterior (LP) thalamus, is extensively interconnected with multiple cortical areas. While these cortical interactions can span the entire LP, subdivisions of the LP are characterized by differential connections with specific cortical regions. In particular, the medial LP has reciprocal connections with frontoparietal cortical areas, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ACC plays an integral role in top‐down sensory processing and attentional regulation, likely exerting some of these functions via the LP. However, little is known about how ACC and LP interact, and about the information potentially integrated in this reciprocal network. Here, we address this gap by employing a projection‐specific monosynaptic rabies tracing strategy to delineate brain‐wide inputs to bottom‐up LP→ACC and top‐down ACC→LP neurons. We find that LP→ACC neurons receive inputs from widespread cortical regions, including primary and higher order sensory and motor cortical areas. LP→ACC neurons also receive extensive subcortical inputs, particularly from the intermediate and deep layers of the superior colliculus (SC). Sensory inputs to ACC→LP neurons largely arise from visual cortical areas. In addition, ACC→LP neurons integrate cross‐hemispheric prefrontal cortex inputs as well as inputs from higher order medial cortex. Our brain‐wide anatomical mapping of inputs to the reciprocal LP‐ACC pathways provides a roadmap for understanding how LP and ACC communicate different sources of information to mediate attentional control and visuomotor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ning Leow
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Blake Zhou
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Heather A Sullivan
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alexandria R Barlowe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ian R Wickersham
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mriganka Sur
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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36
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Zhang Q, Cramer SR, Ma Z, Turner KL, Gheres KW, Liu Y, Drew PJ, Zhang N. Brain-wide ongoing activity is responsible for significant cross-trial BOLD variability. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5311-5329. [PMID: 35179203 PMCID: PMC9712744 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A notorious issue of task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is its large cross-trial variability. To quantitatively characterize this variability, the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal can be modeled as a linear summation of a stimulation-relevant and an ongoing (i.e. stimulation-irrelevant) component. However, systematic investigation on the spatiotemporal features of the ongoing BOLD component and how these features affect the BOLD response is still lacking. Here we measured fMRI responses to light onsets and light offsets in awake rats. The neuronal response was simultaneously recorded with calcium-based fiber photometry. We established that between-region BOLD signals were highly correlated brain-wide at zero time lag, including regions that did not respond to visual stimulation, suggesting that the ongoing activity co-fluctuates across the brain. Removing this ongoing activity reduced cross-trial variability of the BOLD response by ~30% and increased its coherence with the Ca2+ signal. Additionally, the negative ongoing BOLD activity sometimes dominated over the stimulation-driven response and contributed to the post-stimulation BOLD undershoot. These results suggest that brain-wide ongoing activity is responsible for significant cross-trial BOLD variability, and this component can be reliably quantified and removed to improve the reliability of fMRI response. Importantly, this method can be generalized to virtually all fMRI experiments without changing stimulation paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Samuel R Cramer
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,The Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Zilu Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Kevin L Turner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Kyle W Gheres
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Yikang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Patrick J Drew
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,The Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States,Department of Neurosurgery, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
| | - Nanyin Zhang
- Corresponding author: Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair in Brain Imaging, The Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, W-341 Millennium Science Complex, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
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37
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Wang L, Herman JP, Krauzlis RJ. Neuronal modulation in the mouse superior colliculus during covert visual selective attention. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2482. [PMID: 35169189 PMCID: PMC8847498 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06410-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Covert visual attention is accomplished by a cascade of mechanisms distributed across multiple brain regions. Visual cortex is associated with enhanced representations of relevant stimulus features, whereas the contributions of subcortical circuits are less well understood but have been associated with selection of relevant spatial locations and suppression of distracting stimuli. As a step toward understanding these subcortical circuits, here we identified how neuronal activity in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (SC) of head-fixed mice is modulated during covert visual attention. We found that spatial cues modulated both firing rate and spike-count correlations. Crucially, the cue-related modulation in firing rate was due to enhancement of activity at the cued spatial location rather than suppression at the uncued location, indicating that SC neurons in our task were modulated by an excitatory or disinhibitory circuit mechanism focused on the relevant location, rather than broad inhibition of irrelevant locations. This modulation improved the neuronal discriminability of visual-change-evoked activity, but only when assessed for neuronal activity between the contralateral and ipsilateral SC. Together, our findings indicate that neurons in the mouse SC can contribute to covert visual selective attention by biasing processing in favor of locations expected to contain task-relevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lupeng Wang
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Richard J Krauzlis
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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38
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Goldstein S, Wang L, McAlonan K, Torres-Cruz M, Krauzlis RJ. Stimulus-driven visual attention in mice. J Vis 2022; 22:11. [PMID: 35044435 PMCID: PMC8787543 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.1.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In primates, stimulus-driven changes in visual attention can facilitate or hinder perceptual performance, depending on the location and timing of the stimulus event. Mice have emerged as a powerful model for studying visual circuits and behavior; however, it is unclear whether mice show similar interactions between stimulus events and visual attention during perceptual decisions. To investigate this, we trained head-fixed mice to detect a near-threshold change in visual orientation and tested how performance was altered by task-irrelevant stimuli that occurred at different times and locations with respect to the orientation change. We found that task-irrelevant stimuli strongly affected mouse performance. Specifically, stimulus-driven attention in mice followed a similar time course as that in other species: The decreases in reaction times fully emerged between 250 and 400 ms after the stimulus event, and detection accuracy was not affected. However, the effects of stimulus-driven attention on behavior in mice were insensitive to stimulus-event location, an aspect different from what is known in primates. In contrast, reaction times in mice were reduced at longer delays after the task-irrelevant stimulus event regardless of its spatial congruence to the target. These results highlight the strengths and limitations of using mice as a model for studying higher-order visual functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheridan Goldstein
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lupeng Wang
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kerry McAlonan
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mateus Torres-Cruz
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Laboratory for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7571-0072
| | - Richard J Krauzlis
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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39
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Should I stay or should I go? A thalamic circuit for modulating behavioral responses to visual threat. Neuron 2021; 109:3717-3719. [PMID: 34856131 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Neuron and in Cell Reports, Fratzl et al. (2021) and Salay and Huberman (2021) identify the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) of the thalamus as a key regulator for adjusting defensive behaviors according to the level of perceived visual threat.
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40
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Salay LD, Huberman AD. Divergent outputs of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus mediate visually evoked defensive behaviors. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109792. [PMID: 34610302 PMCID: PMC10954303 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid alternations between exploration and defensive reactions require ongoing risk assessment. How visual cues and internal states flexibly modulate the selection of behaviors remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN)-a major retinorecipient structure-is a critical node in the network controlling defensive behaviors to visual threats. We find that vLGNGABA neuron activity scales with the intensity of environmental illumination and is modulated by behavioral state. Chemogenetic activation of vLGNGABA neurons reduces freezing, whereas inactivation dramatically extends the duration of freezing to visual threats. Perturbations of vLGN activity disrupt exploration in brightly illuminated environments. We describe both a vLGN→nucleus reuniens (Re) circuit and a vLGN→superior colliculus (SC) circuit, which exert opposite influences on defensive responses. These findings reveal roles for genetic- and projection-defined vLGN subpopulations in modulating the expression of behavioral threat responses according to internal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey D Salay
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrew D Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; BioX, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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41
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Jiang H, Stanford TR, Rowland BA, Stein BE. Association Cortex Is Essential to Reverse Hemianopia by Multisensory Training. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5015-5023. [PMID: 34056645 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab138] [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: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemianopia induced by unilateral visual cortex lesions can be resolved by repeatedly exposing the blinded hemifield to auditory-visual stimuli. This rehabilitative "training" paradigm depends on mechanisms of multisensory plasticity that restore the lost visual responsiveness of multisensory neurons in the ipsilesional superior colliculus (SC) so that they can once again support vision in the blinded hemifield. These changes are thought to operate via the convergent visual and auditory signals relayed to the SC from association cortex (the anterior ectosylvian sulcus [AES], in cat). The present study tested this assumption by cryogenically deactivating ipsilesional AES in hemianopic, anesthetized cats during weekly multisensory training sessions. No signs of visual recovery were evident in this condition, even after providing animals with up to twice the number of training sessions required for effective rehabilitation. Subsequent training under the same conditions, but with AES active, reversed the hemianopia within the normal timeframe. These results indicate that the corticotectal circuit that is normally engaged in SC multisensory plasticity has to be operational for the brain to use visual-auditory experience to resolve hemianopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huai Jiang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Terrence R Stanford
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Benjamin A Rowland
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Barry E Stein
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
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42
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Lee KH, Ni YL, Colonell J, Karsh B, Putzeys J, Pachitariu M, Harris TD, Meister M. Electrode pooling can boost the yield of extracellular recordings with switchable silicon probes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5245. [PMID: 34475396 PMCID: PMC8413349 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25443-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
State-of-the-art silicon probes for electrical recording from neurons have thousands of recording sites. However, due to volume limitations there are typically many fewer wires carrying signals off the probe, which restricts the number of channels that can be recorded simultaneously. To overcome this fundamental constraint, we propose a method called electrode pooling that uses a single wire to serve many recording sites through a set of controllable switches. Here we present the framework behind this method and an experimental strategy to support it. We then demonstrate its feasibility by implementing electrode pooling on the Neuropixels 1.0 electrode array and characterizing its effect on signal and noise. Finally we use simulations to explore the conditions under which electrode pooling saves wires without compromising the content of the recordings. We make recommendations on the design of future devices to take advantage of this strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyu Hyun Lee
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Yu-Li Ni
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Bill Karsh
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Markus Meister
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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43
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Ge X, Zhang K, Gribizis A, Hamodi AS, Sabino AM, Crair MC. Retinal waves prime visual motion detection by simulating future optic flow. Science 2021; 373:373/6553/eabd0830. [PMID: 34437090 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd0830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The ability to perceive and respond to environmental stimuli emerges in the absence of sensory experience. Spontaneous retinal activity prior to eye opening guides the refinement of retinotopy and eye-specific segregation in mammals, but its role in the development of higher-order visual response properties remains unclear. Here, we describe a transient window in neonatal mouse development during which the spatial propagation of spontaneous retinal waves resembles the optic flow pattern generated by forward self-motion. We show that wave directionality requires the same circuit components that form the adult direction-selective retinal circuit and that chronic disruption of wave directionality alters the development of direction-selective responses of superior colliculus neurons. These data demonstrate how the developing visual system patterns spontaneous activity to simulate ethologically relevant features of the external world and thereby instruct self-organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Ge
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kathy Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Alexandra Gribizis
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ali S Hamodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Aude Martinez Sabino
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Michael C Crair
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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44
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Basso MA, Bickford ME, Cang J. Unraveling circuits of visual perception and cognition through the superior colliculus. Neuron 2021; 109:918-937. [PMID: 33548173 PMCID: PMC7979487 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The superior colliculus is a conserved sensorimotor structure that integrates visual and other sensory information to drive reflexive behaviors. Although the evidence for this is strong and compelling, a number of experiments reveal a role for the superior colliculus in behaviors usually associated with the cerebral cortex, such as attention and decision-making. Indeed, in addition to collicular outputs targeting brainstem regions controlling movements, the superior colliculus also has ascending projections linking it to forebrain structures including the basal ganglia and amygdala, highlighting the fact that the superior colliculus, with its vast inputs and outputs, can influence processing throughout the neuraxis. Today, modern molecular and genetic methods combined with sophisticated behavioral assessments have the potential to make significant breakthroughs in our understanding of the evolution and conservation of neuronal cell types and circuits in the superior colliculus that give rise to simple and complex behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele A Basso
- Fuster Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | | | - Jianhua Cang
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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45
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Tafreshiha A, van der Burg SA, Smits K, Blömer LA, Heimel JA. Visual stimulus-specific habituation of innate defensive behaviour in mice. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.230433. [PMID: 33568444 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230433] [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: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Innate defensive responses such as freezing or escape are essential for animal survival. Mice show defensive behaviour to stimuli sweeping overhead, like a bird cruising the sky. Here, we tested this in young male mice and found that mice reduced their defensive freezing after sessions with a stimulus passing overhead repeatedly. This habituation is stimulus specific, as mice freeze again to a novel shape. Habituation occurs regardless of the visual field location of the repeated stimulus. The mice generalized over a range of sizes and shapes, but distinguished objects when they differed in both size and shape. Innate visual defensive responses are thus strongly influenced by previous experience as mice learn to ignore specific stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azadeh Tafreshiha
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sven A van der Burg
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kato Smits
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laila A Blömer
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J Alexander Heimel
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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46
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Kang YH, Löffler A, Jeurissen D, Zylberberg A, Wolpert DM, Shadlen MN. Multiple decisions about one object involve parallel sensory acquisition but time-multiplexed evidence incorporation. eLife 2021; 10:63721. [PMID: 33688829 PMCID: PMC8112870 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is capable of processing several streams of information that bear on different aspects of the same problem. Here, we address the problem of making two decisions about one object, by studying difficult perceptual decisions about the color and motion of a dynamic random dot display. We find that the accuracy of one decision is unaffected by the difficulty of the other decision. However, the response times reveal that the two decisions do not form simultaneously. We show that both stimulus dimensions are acquired in parallel for the initial ∼0.1 s but are then incorporated serially in time-multiplexed bouts. Thus, there is a bottleneck that precludes updating more than one decision at a time, and a buffer that stores samples of evidence while access to the decision is blocked. We suggest that this bottleneck is responsible for the long timescales of many cognitive operations framed as decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yul Hr Kang
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anne Löffler
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Danique Jeurissen
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Ariel Zylberberg
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, United States
| | - Daniel M Wolpert
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Michael N Shadlen
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
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47
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Bogadhi AR, Buonocore A, Hafed ZM. Task-Irrelevant Visual Forms Facilitate Covert and Overt Spatial Selection. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9496-9506. [PMID: 33127854 PMCID: PMC7724129 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1593-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Covert and overt spatial selection behaviors are guided by both visual saliency maps derived from early visual features as well as priority maps reflecting high-level cognitive factors. However, whether mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection behaviors remains unclear. We hypothesized that if peripheral visual forms contribute to spatial selection behaviors, then they should do so even when the visual forms are task-irrelevant. We tested this hypothesis in male and female human subjects as well as in male macaque monkeys performing a visual detection task. In this task, subjects reported the detection of a suprathreshold target spot presented on top of one of two peripheral images, and they did so with either a speeded manual button press (humans) or a speeded saccadic eye movement response (humans and monkeys). Crucially, the two images, one with a visual form and the other with a partially phase-scrambled visual form, were completely irrelevant to the task. In both manual (covert) and oculomotor (overt) response modalities, and in both humans and monkeys, response times were faster when the target was congruent with a visual form than when it was incongruent. Importantly, incongruent targets were associated with almost all errors, suggesting that forms automatically captured selection behaviors. These findings demonstrate that mid-level perceptual processes associated with visual form recognition contribute to covert and overt spatial selection. This indicates that neural circuits associated with target selection, such as the superior colliculus, may have privileged access to visual form information.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Spatial selection of visual information either with (overt) or without (covert) foveating eye movements is critical to primate behavior. However, it is still not clear whether spatial maps in sensorimotor regions known to guide overt and covert spatial selection are influenced by peripheral visual forms. We probed the ability of humans and monkeys to perform overt and covert target selection in the presence of spatially congruent or incongruent visual forms. Even when completely task-irrelevant, images of visual objects had a dramatic effect on target selection, acting much like spatial cues used in spatial attention tasks. Our results demonstrate that traditional brain circuits for orienting behaviors, such as the superior colliculus, likely have privileged access to visual object representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarender R Bogadhi
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
| | - Antimo Buonocore
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
| | - Ziad M Hafed
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany, 72076
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48
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Shadmehr R. Population coding in the cerebellum: a machine learning perspective. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:2022-2051. [PMID: 33112717 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00449.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The cere resembles a feedforward, three-layer network of neurons in which the "hidden layer" consists of Purkinje cells (P-cells) and the output layer consists of deep cerebellar nucleus (DCN) neurons. In this analogy, the output of each DCN neuron is a prediction that is compared with the actual observation, resulting in an error signal that originates in the inferior olive. Efficient learning requires that the error signal reach the DCN neurons, as well as the P-cells that project onto them. However, this basic rule of learning is violated in the cerebellum: the olivary projections to the DCN are weak, particularly in adulthood. Instead, an extraordinarily strong signal is sent from the olive to the P-cells, producing complex spikes. Curiously, P-cells are grouped into small populations that converge onto single DCN neurons. Why are the P-cells organized in this way, and what is the membership criterion of each population? Here, I apply elementary mathematics from machine learning and consider the fact that P-cells that form a population exhibit a special property: they can synchronize their complex spikes, which in turn suppress activity of DCN neuron they project to. Thus complex spikes cannot only act as a teaching signal for a P-cell, but through complex spike synchrony, a P-cell population may act as a surrogate teacher for the DCN neuron that produced the erroneous output. It appears that grouping of P-cells into small populations that share a preference for error satisfies a critical requirement of efficient learning: providing error information to the output layer neuron (DCN) that was responsible for the error, as well as the hidden layer neurons (P-cells) that contributed to it. This population coding may account for several remarkable features of behavior during learning, including multiple timescales, protection from erasure, and spontaneous recovery of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Shadmehr
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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49
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Mu Y, Narayan S, Mensh BD, Ahrens MB. Brain-wide, scale-wide physiology underlying behavioral flexibility in zebrafish. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 64:151-160. [PMID: 33091825 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The brain is tasked with choosing actions that maximize an animal's chances of survival and reproduction. These choices must be flexible and informed by the current state of the environment, the needs of the body, and the outcomes of past actions. This information is physiologically encoded and processed across different brain regions on a wide range of spatial scales, from molecules in single synapses to networks of brain areas. Uncovering these spatially distributed neural interactions underlying behavior requires investigations that span a similar range of spatial scales. Larval zebrafish, given their small size, transparency, and ease of genetic access, are a good model organism for such investigations, allowing the use of modern microscopy, molecular biology, and computational techniques. These approaches are yielding new insights into the mechanistic basis of behavioral states, which we review here and compare to related studies in mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Mu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China.
| | - Sujatha Narayan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Brett D Mensh
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Misha B Ahrens
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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50
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Li YT, Turan Z, Meister M. Functional Architecture of Motion Direction in the Mouse Superior Colliculus. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3304-3315.e4. [PMID: 32649907 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Motion vision is important in guiding animal behavior. Both the retina and the visual cortex process object motion in largely unbiased fashion: all directions are represented at all locations in the visual field. We investigate motion processing in the superior colliculus of the awake mouse by optically recording neural responses across both hemispheres. Within the retinotopic map, one finds large regions of ∼500 μm size where neurons prefer the same direction of motion. This preference is maintained in depth to ∼350 μm. The scale of these patches, ∼30 degrees of visual angle, is much coarser than the animal's visual resolution (∼2 degrees). A global map of motion direction shows approximate symmetry between the left and right hemispheres and a net bias for upward-nasal motion in the upper visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Tang Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Zeynep Turan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Markus Meister
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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