Action in Vision

How do vision and motor actions interact? A textbook will answer that vision guides movements but this view has been challenged over the last decade.

The most striking realisation was the extent to which locomotion modulates neural activity in primary visual cortex, thalamus dLGN, superior colliculus and even the retina (collectively Early Visual System or EVS). Therefore movements can guide visual processing but the nature of this effect is unknown.

The most pressing question regards the specificity of these interactions.

In EVS different visual features (size, luminance, colour, direction …) are processed along parallel channels, at least 30 in the mouse retina.

Since different motor actions (e.g. picking a fine thread, kicking a ball) require different visual features, I expect the interactions between vision and movements to be quite specific to the nature of the actions performed.

Due to technological limitations the only available data are obtained in head-fixed animals where only one type of action – locomotion – can be observed. To overcome these limitations I developed a system to quantify movements in unconstrained animals.

I will use this system to understand how different movements affect distinct visual channels in EVS, modify the neural code(s) and ultimately influence behaviour.