Cortical and subcortical control of saccades

项目摘要 快速准确的扫视眼球运动对视力至关重要。由于现实世界的场景往往是 由于有许多物体，扫视的基本要求是连续选择单个目标 从多个潜在目标的领域。扫视目标的选择是由一个网络的皮层和 大脑皮层下区域，但我们仍然不知道这些区域的活动是如何协调的。这 该项目研究了上级丘（SC），额眼场（FEF）和 背外侧前额叶皮质（dlPFC）。SC被认为是眼动命令的网关 从皮层到达脑干，但SC活动的扰动不仅影响大脑皮层的执行， 扫视;它们也影响眼球运动目标的选择。这就提出了一个关键问题： SC只是在向下游发送扫视命令之前充当最终选择阶段，或者SC 活动影响皮质的扫视决策？为了回答这个问题，我们将同时记录孤立的 神经元和局部场电位从SC和FEF，并应用先进的分析技术，以揭示 这两个领域之间的相互作用和可能的信息流动。接下来，我们将扰乱SC中的活动 通过暂时停用它的一部分，并将确定是否以及如何选择相关的活动， FEF改变了。我们还将研究额叶皮层如何影响SC中的选择。 区域dlPFC被认为对于基于抽象规则或内部目标的选择特别重要。我们 我将通过分析错误记录的活动来验证这一观点，并研究dlPFC对SC的影响 在这两个领域期间的性能规则和显着性为基础的选择任务。最后，为了测试 与dlPFC的因果关系，我们将记录行为和SC活动，而dlPFC暂时失活。的 结果不仅提供了关于扫视决策功能结构的新信息; 它们还将有助于更好地理解大脑皮层和皮层下区域在大脑中是如何相互作用的。 认知任务的表现。

Project Summary Rapid and accurate saccadic eye movements are crucial for vision. Since real-world scenes are often crowded with many objects, a fundamental requirement for saccades is the serial selection of single targets from a field of multiple potential targets. Saccade target selection is subserved by a network of cortical and subcortical brain areas, but we still have little idea of how activity across these areas is coordinated. This project investigates the interactions among the superior colliculus (SC), the frontal eye field (FEF), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). The SC is regarded as the gateway for eye-movement commands from cortex to reach the brainstem, but perturbations in SC activity do not just affect the execution of saccades; they also influence the selection of eye-movement targets. This raises a key question: Does the SC simply act as a final selection stage before transmitting saccade commands downstream, or does SC activity influence saccadic decision-making in cortex? To answer this, we will simultaneously record isolated neurons and local field potentials from SC and FEF, and apply advanced analysis techniques to reveal the interactions and likely flow of information between these two areas. Next, we will perturb activity in the SC by temporarily inactivating a portion of it, and will determine whether and how selection-related activity in FEF is altered. We will also investigate how frontal cortex influences selection in the SC. Specifically, frontal area dlPFC is thought to be particularly important for selection based on abstract rules or internal goals. We will test this idea and investigate dlPFC's influence on the SC by analyzing simultaneously-recorded activity in the two areas during performance of rule-governed and salience-based selection tasks. Finally, to test for a causal link with dlPFC, we will record behavior and SC activity while dlPFC is temporarily inactivated. The results will not only provide new information about the functional architecture of saccadic decision-making; they will also lead toward a better understanding of how cortical and subcortical brain areas interact in performance of a cognitive task.