Neural circuits controlling visuospatial behaviour - measurement and manipulation

How the nervous system achieves versatility of visuospatial behaviour is a fundamental, yet unresolved, question in neuroscience. We will address this question in the context of neural circuits controlling visual-based orienting behaviour.

For instance, orienting to visual events of interest while ignoring irrelevant distractors is a goal-dependent motor behaviour, yet executed rapidly, accurately and effortlessly.

This proposal is designed to provide a comprehensive investigation of the physiology of orienting-related neurons in the mouse superior colliculus, which act as a shared platform for selectively launching goal-driven and visual-driven movement in Eulerian space.

It capitalises on our recent studies on their organisation, which represent a conceptual shift that places local circuit function in the midbrain necessary for the allocation of visual attention.

Our objectives are: (1) to reveal how retinal and frontocortical inputs are hardwired to cooperate or compete for access of orienting neurons; (2) to selectively monitor their activity and functional impact during a visual-based ´pursuit/ignore´ assay; and (3) to evaluate the causal changes in activity and behaviour during silencing of upstream frontal networks.

We will achieve these aims by using viral-based methods, electrophysiology, optogenetics, computation, behaviour and methodologies pioneered by our team. Results from this proposal will update our current views on the principles linking vision to action.