title: Neuronal and behavioural modulations by pathway-selective optogenetic stimulation of the primate oculomotor system.
abstract: Optogenetics enables temporally and spatially precise control of neuronal activity in vivo. One of the key advantages of optogenetics is that it can be used to control the activity of targeted neural pathways that connect specific brain regions. While such pathway-selective optogenetic control is a popular tool in rodents, attempts at modulating behaviour using pathway-selective optogenetics have not yet been successful in primates. Here we develop a methodology for pathway-selective optogenetics in macaque monkeys, focusing on the pathway from the frontal eye field (FEF) to the superior colliculus (SC), part of the complex oculomotor network. We find that the optogenetic stimulation of FEF projections to the SC modulates SC neuron activity and is sufficient to evoke saccadic eye movements towards the response field corresponding to the stimulation site. Thus, our results demonstrate the feasibility of using pathway-selective optogenetics to elucidate neural network function in primates.
authors.affiliation: Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.|Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005133:Eye Movements; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics; D012438:Saccades; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways