bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Oct. 28, 2024
Animals
must
constantly
scan
their
environment
for
imminent
threats
to
safety.
However,
they
also
integrate
past
experiences
across
long
timescales
assess
the
potential
recurrence
of
new
threats.
Though
visual
inputs
are
critical
detection
environmental
danger,
whether
and
how
information
shapes
an
animal's
assessment
a
threat
is
likely
reappear
in
given
context
unknown.
Using
novel
behavioral
long-term
avoidance
behavior,
we
find
that
animals
will
avoid
familiar
location
where
previously
experienced
single
exposure
innately
threatening
stimulus.
This
behavior
highly
sensitive
lasts
multiple
days.
Intriguingly,
melanopsin-expressing,
intrinsically
photosensitive
retinal
ganglion
cells
tune
this
via
perihabenular-nucleus
accumbens
circuit
distinct
from
canonical
circuits.
These
findings
define
specific
cell
type
driving
driven
by
prior
experience.
Object
detection
is
an
essential
function
of
the
visual
system.
Although
cortex
plays
important
role
in
object
detection,
superior
colliculus
can
support
when
ablated
or
silenced.
Moreover,
it
has
been
shown
that
superficial
layers
mouse
SC
(sSC)
encode
features
complex
objects,
and
this
code
not
inherited
from
primary
cortex.
This
suggests
sSC
may
provide
a
significant
contribution
to
vision.
Here,
we
use
optogenetics
show
involved
figure
based
on
differences
contrast,
orientation,
phase.
Additionally,
our
neural
recordings
sSC,
image
elements
belong
elicit
stronger
activity
than
those
same
they
are
part
background.
The
discriminability
higher
for
correct
trials
incorrect
trials.
Our
results
new
insight
into
behavioral
relevance
processing
takes
place
sSC.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
122(13)
Published: March 24, 2025
The
visual
system
can
process
diverse
stimuli
and
make
the
decision
to
execute
appropriate
behaviors,
but
it
remains
unclear
where
how
this
transformation
takes
place.
Innate
visually
evoked
behaviors
such
as
hunting,
freezing,
escape
are
thought
be
deeply
conserved,
have
been
described
in
a
range
of
species
from
insects
humans.
We
found
that
zebrafish
larvae
would
respond
predator-like
with
immobility
bradycardia,
both
hallmarks
head-fixed
behavioral
paradigm.
then
imaged
while
responded
different
systematically
identified
driven
neurons
behaviorally
correlated
sensorimotor
neurons.
Our
analyses
indicate
within
optic
tectum,
broadly
tuned
sensory
functionally
which
specifically
during
one
behavior,
indicating
contains
suitable
information
for
transformation.
also
four
other
areas
downstream
these
specific
segregation
pathways
continues
areas.
While
our
findings
shed
light
on
may
integrate
inputs,
further
investigation
will
required
determine
regions
interact
behave
is
made.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Jan. 9, 2025
Multiple
sources
innervate
the
visual
thalamus
to
influence
image-forming
vision
prior
cortex,
yet
it
remains
unclear
how
non-retinal
and
retinal
input
coordinate
shape
thalamic
selectivity.
Using
dual-color
two-photon
calcium
imaging
in
of
awake
mice,
we
observed
similar
coarse-scale
retinotopic
organization
between
axons
superior
colliculus
neurons
ganglion
cells,
both
providing
strong
converging
excitatory
neurons.
At
a
fine
scale
∼10
µm,
collicular
boutons
often
shared
feature
preferences
with
nearby
boutons.
Inhibiting
significantly
suppressed
responses
specifically
reduced
motion
selectivity
preferring
nasal-to-temporal
motion.
The
reduction
could
be
result
silencing
sharply
tuned
direction-selective
colliculogeniculate
input.
These
findings
suggest
that
is
not
merely
relay
but
selectively
integrates
inputs
from
multiple
regions
build
stimulus
information
transmitted
cortex.
Chronic
reveals
diverse
tuning
axonal
boutons.Nearby
share
at
µm
scaleSilencing
suppresses
majority
neurons.Silencing
reduces
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Oct. 6, 2024
Abstract
Studying
prey
capture
behavior
in
mice
offers
a
fruitful
platform
for
understanding
how
ecologically
relevant
visual
stimuli
are
differentially
processed
by
the
brain
throughout
life.
For
example,
specific
that
indicate
and
naturally
draw
appetitive
orienting
adult
may
be
interpreted
differently
or
evoke
distinct
behaviors
during
development.
What
neural
mechanisms
might
allow
an
animal
to
flexibly
couple
same
stimulus
information
behavioral
outcomes
as
function
of
developmental
needs?
To
begin
address
this
important
question,
we
quantified
visually
evoked
between
adolescent
C57BL6/J
both
sexes
under
natural
context
compared
responses
our
established
virtual
motion
paradigm,
C-SPOT.
Most
surprisingly,
discovered
female
versus
male
have
opposing
innate
biases
sweeping
which
is
not
present
adulthood.
Further,
display
robust
enhancement
approach
towards
over
all
other
groups
tested,
yet
they
least
aggressive
response
live
prey.
Thus,
work
overall
revealed
robustly
dissociated
from
predatory
aggression
specifically
adolescence.
This
underscores
different
goals
physiological
states
uniquely
apply
animals,
reveals
key
sensory-motor
process
selectively
augmented
Highlights
Adolescent
innately
insects
more
than
adults
males
females
strongest
hunger-related
