Thalamocortical mechanisms producing spatial chromatic contrast in mouse V1

项目摘要 将色彩和形式整合到连贯的视觉场景中的能力是我们与 环境保护这种能力在许多眼科和神经精神疾病中受损，但神经系统疾病的发生率是很低的。 负责视觉特征整合的机制仍然研究不足。使用老鼠作为模型 生物提供了深入了解跨物种的vison保守的基本机制， 神经信息处理的一般原理。最近在老鼠身上的研究表明， 视觉系统对色彩信息做出反应，老鼠可以利用这些信息来指导行为。 然而，目前还不清楚早期的视觉系统如何整合光谱和亮度对比来表示 色彩空间我自己的初步数据表明，小鼠初级视觉皮层（V1）中的神经元 可以响应于空间亮度对比度（即，形式）以颜色依赖的方式，建立在工作 证明了丘脑外侧膝状体核（LGN）对颜色对比的反应- 视觉层次的前一阶段。这表明，颜色和形式开始他们的整合，通过 丘脑皮质网络，虽然确切的整合机制是未知的。 因此，这个建议的目的是问，如何，神经，是在颜色和亮度的变化集成 来产生空间色彩对比？为此，我需要测量大量 LGN和V1的神经元，以捕捉色反应的宽度和之间的相关连接 地区利用小鼠视觉系统和高密度电生理学的相对规模， 该项目将研究具有高度时空性的空间色整合机制 分辨率目的1将检查彩色和消色差信号从LGN到 在V1中产生色选择性。目标2将研究皮质内网络是否以及如何增强 色彩选择性，以改善视觉处理的后续阶段的颜色调整。 总之，这个建议将扩大我们对早期视觉系统如何 在空间上整合了颜色和亮度，为进一步研究如何 颜色与特定的视觉特征相结合，例如方向，方向，运动，以及最终颜色是如何 融入到复杂的自然场景中这项工作还将为申请人提供宝贵的培训， 作为一名神经精神病学家，他未来的职业生涯专注于将基础知识从计算 神经科学转化为新颖的、高度精确的治疗方法。

PROJECT SUMMARY The ability to integrate color and form into coherent visual scenes is an important part of our interactions with the environment. This ability is impaired in many ophthalmologic and neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the neural mechanisms responsible for visual feature integration remain understudied. The use of mice as a model organism has provided deep insights into fundamental mechanisms of vison conserved across species and general principles of neural information processing. Recent work in mice has shown that the early mouse visual system is wired to respond to chromatic information and mice can use this information to guide behavior. However, it is unclear how the early visual system integrates spectral and luminance contrasts to represent color spatially. My own preliminary data has demonstrated that neurons in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) can respond to spatial luminance contrast (i.e., form) in a color-dependent manner, building on work demonstrating responses to color contrast in in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) – the preceding stage of visual hierarchy. This suggests that color and form begin their integration through thalamocortical networks, though the exact mechanism of integration is unknown. Thus, the goal of this proposal is to ask how, neurally, are variations in color and luminance integrated to generate spatial chromatic contrast? To do this, I will need to measure responses from a large number of neurons in LGN and V1 to capture the breadth of chromatic responses and relevant connections between regions. Leveraging the relative scale of the mouse visual system and high-density electrophysiology, this project will examine mechanisms of spatial chromatic integration with a high degree of spatiotemporal resolution. Aim 1 will examine the functional convergence of chromatic and achromatic signals from LGN to produce chromatic selectivity in V1. Aim 2 will then examine if and how intracortical networks enhance chromatic selectivity to refine color tuning for subsequent stages of visual processing. In sum, this proposal will expand our fundamental understanding of how the early visual system integrates color and luminance spatially, providing a steppingstone to further experiments investigating how color integrates with specific visual features such as orientation, direction, motion, and ultimately how color is integrated into complex naturalistic scenes. This work will also provide the applicant with invaluable training in his future career as a neuropsychiatrist focused on translating foundational knowledge from computational neuroscience into novel, highly precise therapeutics.