Motion Processing in the Superior Colliculus

项目总结/摘要 视觉信息如何在神经系统中被处理和转换是一个基本问题 在视觉研究中。鉴于其在视觉引导行为和可用的遗传工具中的明显重要性， 小鼠上级丘（SC）对理解视觉加工及其神经机制具有重要意义 机制等SC是一个重要的中脑结构，对于多模态整合和感觉运动 转型它的表层是纯粹的视觉，并接受来自视网膜的直接输入。在这一提议中， 研究人员将研究SC的视觉层（SGS）中的运动处理，特别关注其 调制的刺激上下文，运动状态，和自我生成的视觉流。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 包围着它们的感受野这些实验将揭示兴奋性和抑制性的局部连通性 神经元，介导视觉刺激和其上下文之间的运动对比的双向编码。 其次，将在清醒的小鼠中进行双光子钙成像，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的深度和细胞中进行- 特定类型的方式。最后，研究人员将研究自我产生的视觉流是否以及如何影响大脑的视觉活动。 SGS神经元的反应。双光子成像和生理记录将在头部进行- 限制老鼠在虚拟现实系统中奔跑。这些实验将在不同的 视网膜定位在SGS的位置，以揭示是否存在区域特异性组织在SGS中， 编码自发运动的背景。总之，这些实验将产生所需的重要数据 完全理解大脑中的视觉处理。因为正常的视觉处理 在许多神经和精神疾病中受到损害，例如诵读困难症，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。 紊乱

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.