title: Transformation of spatiotemporal dynamics in the macaque vestibular system from otolith afferents to cortex.
abstract: Sensory signals undergo substantial recoding when neural activity is relayed from sensors through pre-thalamic and thalamic nuclei to cortex. To explore how temporal dynamics and directional tuning are sculpted in hierarchical vestibular circuits, we compared responses of macaque otolith afferents with neurons in the vestibular and cerebellar nuclei, as well as five cortical areas, to identical three-dimensional translational motion. We demonstrate a remarkable spatio-temporal transformation: otolith afferents carry spatially aligned cosine-tuned translational acceleration and jerk signals. In contrast, brainstem and cerebellar neurons exhibit non-linear, mixed selectivity for translational velocity, acceleration, jerk and position. Furthermore, these components often show dissimilar spatial tuning. Moderate further transformation of translation signals occurs in the cortex, such that similar spatio-temporal properties are found in multiple cortical areas. These results suggest that the first synapse represents a key processing element in vestibular pathways, robustly shaping how self-motion is represented in central vestibular circuits and cortical areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9101-2802
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laurens
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Opthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.|Zhejiang University Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.|Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiong-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dickman
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, United States.
authors.forename: Gregory C
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1635-1273
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: DeAngelis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.
authors.forename: Dora E
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9650-8962
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Angelaki
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: brainstem; cerebellum; cortex; neuroscience; rhesus macaque; vestibular