Characterizing spatial information in feedforward and feedback signals between mouse visual and navigational areas

传统上认为，哺乳动物大脑中的视觉系统以前馈层次结构处理视觉信息。视网膜信息首先从外侧膝状核投射到初级视觉皮层，并在高级视觉区域进一步处理功能专门化。其中一个功能特化是视觉导航，它将地标/物体和自我运动信息投射到海马体结构的空间记忆系统中。然而，最近的研究发现，从高级视觉区、非视觉感觉运动区、皮层下区到视觉区有多种解剖反馈投射。此外，在视觉区域观察到功能调节的非视觉信号，包括导航、觉醒、运动。这表明视觉导航的信息流是通过前馈和反馈投影在视觉区和海马区之间双向流动的。然而，目前尚不清楚这些区域如何通过双向预测相互作用。本项目旨在研究空间信息是如何通过视觉区域和海马形成之间的前馈和反馈投射来处理的，使用在虚拟现实设置下的最先进的神经像素小鼠体内电生理实验和先进的计算方法。

The visual system in the mammalian brain is traditionally believed to process visual information in a feedforward hierarchical structure. Retinal information is first projected to the primary visual cortex from the lateral geniculate nucleus, and further processed in higher visual areas for functional specializations. One of the functional specializations is visual navigation which project both landmark/object and self-motion information to the spatial memory system in the hippocampal formation. However, recent studies found a variety of anatomical feedback projections to visual areas from higher visual areas, non-visual sensorimotor areas, subcortical areas. Furthermore, functionally modulatory non-visual signals were observed in visual areas, including navigation, arousal, locomotion. This suggests that information flow for visual navigation is bidirectional between visual areas and the hippocampal formation by feedforward and feedback projections. Yet, it is unclear how these areas interact through the bidirectional projections. This project aims to investigate how spatial information is processed through feedforward and feedback projections between visual areas and hippocampal formation using in vivo electrophysiology experiments in mice with state-of-art Neuropixel under a virtual reality setup, and advanced computational methods.