Parametric functional maps of visual inputs to the tectum.
How features of the visual scene are encoded in the population activity of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) targeting specific regions of the brain is not well understood. To address this, we have used a genetically encoded reporter of presynaptic function (SyGCaMP3) to record visually evoked activity in the population of RGC axons innervating the zebrafish tectum. Using unbiased voxel-wise analysis of SyGCaMP3 signals, we identify three subtypes of direction-selective and two subtypes of orientation-selective retinal input. Composite parametric functional maps generated across many larvae show laminar segregation of direction- and orientation-selective responses and unexpected retinotopic biases in the distribution of functional subtypes. These findings provide a systematic description of the form, organization, and dimensionality of visual inputs to the brain and will serve as a platform for understanding emergent properties in tectal circuits associated with visually driven behavior.
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Nikolas
N
Nikolaou
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Andrew S
AS
Lowe
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Alison S
AS
Walker
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Fatima
F
Abbas
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Paul R
PR
Hunter
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Ian D
ID
Thompson
MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Martin P
MP
Meyer
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D015027:Zebrafish
D002147:Calmodulin; C107660:M13 protein (myosin light-chain kinase); D010446:Peptide Fragments; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase; D002118:Calcium