title: Neural Circuit to Integrate Opposing Motions in the Visual Field.
abstract: When navigating in their environment, animals use visual motion cues as feedback signals that are elicited by their own motion. Such signals are provided by wide-field neurons sampling motion directions at multiple image points as the animal maneuvers. Each one of these neurons responds selectively to a specific optic flow-field representing the spatial distribution of motion vectors on the retina. Here, we describe the discovery of a group of local, inhibitory interneurons in the fruit fly Drosophila key for filtering these cues. Using anatomy, molecular characterization, activity manipulation, and physiological recordings, we demonstrate that these interneurons convey direction-selective inhibition to wide-field neurons with opposite preferred direction and provide evidence for how their connectivity enables the computation required for integrating opposing motions. Our results indicate that, rather than sharpening directional selectivity per se, these circuit elements reduce noise by eliminating non-specific responses to complex visual information.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany. Electronic address: amauss@neuro.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Alex S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mauss
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pankova
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arenz
authors.affiliation: Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
authors.forename: Aljoscha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nern
authors.affiliation: Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
authors.forename: Gerald M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borst
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D007395:Interneurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009039:Motion Perception; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009899:Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D014796:Visual Perception