Motion Processing in the Superior Colliculus

项目摘要/摘要 视觉信息在神经系统中是如何处理和转换的是一个基本问题 在视觉研究方面。鉴于它在视觉引导行为中的明显重要性以及可用的遗传工具， 小鼠上丘(SC)对理解视觉加工及其神经具有重要意义 机械装置。SC是一种重要的中脑结构，对多通道整合和感觉运动具有重要作用 转型。它的表层是纯视觉的，接受来自视网膜的直接输入。在这份提案中， 研究人员将研究SC，SGS的视觉层中的运动处理，特别是它的 受刺激背景、运动状态和自身产生的视觉流动的调制。第一，体内全细胞 将进行记录以确定单个SGS神经元从该区域接收的突触输入 包围着它们的接受场。这些实验将揭示兴奋性和抑制性的局部连接 负责调节视觉刺激及其背景之间运动对比的双向编码的神经元。 其次，将在清醒的小鼠身上进行双光子钙成像，以确定是否以及如何运动 影响SGS的视觉反应。这些实验将在SGS的深处进行，并在一个细胞中- 特定于类型的方式。最后，研究人员将研究自我产生的视觉流动是否以及如何影响 SGS神经元的反应。双光子成像和生理记录将在头部- 在虚拟现实系统中运行的受约束的老鼠。这些实验将在不同的 SGS中的视网膜定位，以揭示SGS中是否存在特定于区域的组织 对自生成运动进行编码的上下文。总之，这些实验将产生所需的重要数据 以全面了解大脑中的视觉处理过程。因为正常的视觉处理是 患有许多神经和精神障碍，如诵读困难、精神分裂症和自闭症 这些研究将为理解和治疗这些疾病提供新的见解。 精神错乱。

Project Summary/Abstract How visual information is processed and transformed in the nervous system is a fundamental question in vision research. Given its clear importance in visually-guided behaviors and the available genetic tools, the mouse superior colliculus (SC) holds great promise for understanding visual processing and its neural mechanisms. The SC is a midbrain structure important for multimodal integration and sensorimotor transformation. Its superficial layers are purely visual and receive direct inputs from the retina. In this proposal, the investigators will study motion processing in a visual layer of the SC, the SGS, with a particular focus on its modulation by stimulus context, locomotion state, and self-generated visual flow. First, in vivo whole cell recording will be performed to determine the synaptic inputs that individual SGS neurons receive from the region surrounding their receptive fields. These experiments will reveal the local connectivity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that mediates the bidirectional encoding of motion contrast between the visual stimulus and its context. Second, two-photon calcium imaging will be performed in awake mice to determine whether and how locomotion affects visual responses in the SGS. These experiments will be done across the depth of the SGS and in a cell- type-specific manner. Finally, the investigators will study whether and how self-generated visual flow affects the responses of SGS neurons. Two-photon imaging and physiological recording will be performed in head- restrained mice running in a virtual reality system. These experiments will be conducted across different retinotopic locations in the SGS, in order to reveal whether a region-specific organization exists in the SGS in the context of encoding self-generated motion. Together, these experiments will generate important data needed for a complete understanding of visual processing in the brain. Because normal visual processing is compromised in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as dyslexia, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorders, these studies will provide novel insights for the understanding and treatment of these disorders.