scholarly journals Visual pathways in the brain of the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa

2020 ◽  
Vol 528 (11) ◽  
pp. 1883-1902
Author(s):  
Philip O. M. Steinhoff ◽  
Gabriele Uhl ◽  
Steffen Harzsch ◽  
Andy Sombke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Jumping Spider ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Visual pathways in the brain of the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip O.M. Steinhoff ◽  
Gabriele Uhl ◽  
Steffen Harzsch ◽  
Andy Sombke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Fields ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Jumping Spider ◽  
Cupiennius Salei ◽  
First Order ◽  
Posterior Median ◽  
Eye Size ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Median Eyes

AbstractSome animals have evolved task differentiation among their eyes. A particular example is spiders, where most species have eight eyes, of which two (the principal eyes) are used for object discrimination, whereas the other three pairs (secondary eyes) detect movement. In the spider species Cupiennius salei these two eye types correspond to two visual pathways in the brain. Each eye is associated with its own first and second order visual neuropil. The second order neuropils of the principal eyes are connected to the arcuate body, whereas the second order neuropils of the secondary eyes are linked to the mushroom body. However, eye size and visual fields are considerably different in jumping spiders. We explored the principal- and secondary eye visual pathways of the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa. We found that the connectivity of the principal eye pathway is the same as in C. salei, while there are differences in the secondary eye pathways. In M. muscosa, all secondary eyes are connected to their own first order visual neuropils. The first order visual neuropils of the anterior lateral and posterior lateral eyes are further connected with two second order visual neuropils, whereas the posterior median eyes lack second order visual neuropils and their axons project only to the arcuate body. This suggests that the posterior median eyes probably do not serve movement detection in M. muscosa. Furthermore, the second order visual neuropil (L2) in Marpissa muscosa potentially integrates information from the secondary eyes and might thus enable faster movement decisions.

Visual Pathways for Postural Control and Negative Phototaxis in Lamprey

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 960-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Ullén ◽  
Tatiana G. Deliagina ◽  
Grigori N. Orlovsky ◽  
Sten Grillner
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Light Response ◽  
Contralateral Side ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Negative Phototaxis ◽  
Intact Side ◽  
Roll Control ◽  
The Brain

Ullén, Fredrik, Tatiana G. Deliagina, Grigori N. Orlovsky, and Sten Grillner. Visual pathways for postural control and negative phototaxis in lamprey. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 960–976, 1997. The functional roles of the major visuo-motor pathways were studied in lamprey. Responses to eye illumination were video-recorded in intact and chronically lesioned animals. Postural deficits during spontaneous swimming were analyzed to elucidate the roles of the lesioned structures for steering and postural control. Eye illumination in intact lampreys evoked the dorsal light response, that is, a roll tilt toward the light, and negative phototaxis, that is a lateral turn away from light, and locomotion. Complete tectum-ablation enhanced both responses. During swimming, a tendency for roll tilts and episodes of vertical upward swimming were seen. The neuronal circuitries for dorsal light response and negative phototaxis are thus essentially extratectal. Responses to eye illumination were abolished by contralateral pretectum-ablation but normal after the corresponding lesion on the ipsilateral side. Contralateral pretectum thus plays an important role for dorsal light response and negative phototaxis. To determine the roles of pretectal efferent pathways for the responses, animals with a midmesencephalichemisection were tested. Noncrossed pretecto-reticular fibers from the ipsilateral pretectum and crossed fibers from the contralateral side were transected. Eye illumination on the lesioned side evoked negative phototaxis but no dorsal light response. Eye illumination on the intact side evoked an enhanced dorsal light response, whereas negative phototaxis was replaced with straight locomotion or positive phototaxis. The crossed pretecto-reticular projection is thus most important for the dorsal light response, whereas the noncrossed projection presumably plays the major role for negative phototaxis. Transection of the ventral rhombencephalic commissure enhanced dorsal light response; negative phototaxis was retained with smaller turning angles than normal. Spontaneous locomotion showed episodes of backward swimming and deficient roll control (tilting tendency). Transections of different spinal pathways were performed immediately caudal to the brain stem. All spinal lesions left dorsal light response in attached state unaffected; this response presumably is mediated by the brain stem. Spinal hemisection impaired all ipsiversive yaw turns; the animals spontaneously rolled to the intact side. Bilateral transection of the lateral columns impaired all yaw turns, whereas roll control and dorsal light response were normal. After transection of the medial spinal cord, yaw turns still could be performed whereas dorsal light response was suppressed or abolished, and a roll tilting tendency during spontaneous locomotion was seen. We conclude that the contralateral optic nerve projection to the pretectal region is necessary and sufficient for negative phototaxis and dorsal light response. The crossed descending pretectal projection is most important for dorsal light response, whereas the noncrossed one is most important for negative phototaxis. In the most rostral spinal cord, fibers for lateral yaw turns travel mainly in the lateral columns, whereas fibers for roll turns travel mainly in the medial spinal cord.

scholarly journals Branching Thalamic Afferents Link Action and Perception

2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 539-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Guillery
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Axonal Branching ◽  
Action And Perception ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Anatomical Evidence

Recent observations of single axons and review of older literature show that axons afferent to the thalamus commonly branch, sending one branch to the thalamus and another to a motor or premotor center of the brain stem. That is, the messages that the thalamus relays to the cerebral cortex can be regarded as copies of motor instructions. This pattern of axonal branching is reviewed, particularly for the somatosensory and the visual pathways. The extent to which this anatomical evidence relates to views that link action to perception is explored. Most pathways going through the thalamus to the cortex are already involved in motor mechanisms. These motor links occur before and during activity in the parallel and hierarchical corticocortical circuitry that currently forms the focus of many studies of perceptual processing.

scholarly journals The mouse pulvinar nucleus: Organization of the tectorecipient zones

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
NA ZHOU ◽  
PHILLIP S. MAIRE ◽  
SEAN P. MASTERSON ◽  
MARTHA E. BICKFORD
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Human Thalamus ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

AbstractComparative studies have greatly contributed to our understanding of the organization and function of visual pathways of the brain, including that of humans. This comparative approach is a particularly useful tactic for studying the pulvinar nucleus, an enigmatic structure which comprises the largest territory of the human thalamus. This review focuses on the regions of the mouse pulvinar that receive input from the superior colliculus, and highlights similarities of the tectorecipient pulvinar identified across species. Open questions are discussed, as well as the potential contributions of the mouse model for endeavors to elucidate the function of the pulvinar nucleus.

scholarly journals Harmonics added to a flickering light can upset the balance between ON and OFF pathways to produce illusory colors

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (17) ◽  
pp. E4081-E4090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Rider ◽  
G. Bruce Henning ◽  
Rhea T. Eskew ◽  
Andrew Stockman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Human Vision ◽  
Perceptual Quality ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Color Processing ◽  
Retinal Photoreceptor ◽  
Half Wave ◽  
On And Off Pathways ◽  
The Brain

The neural signals generated by the light-sensitive photoreceptors in the human eye are substantially processed and recoded in the retina before being transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. A key aspect of this recoding is the splitting of the signals within the two major cone-driven visual pathways into distinct ON and OFF branches that transmit information about increases and decreases in the neural signal around its mean level. While this separation is clearly important physiologically, its effect on perception is unclear. We have developed a model of the ON and OFF pathways in early color processing. Using this model as a guide, we can produce imbalances in the ON and OFF pathways by changing the shapes of time-varying stimulus waveforms and thus make reliable and predictable alterations to the perceived average color of the stimulus—although the physical mean of the waveforms does not change. The key components in the model are the early half-wave rectifying synapses that split retinal photoreceptor outputs into the ON and OFF pathways and later sigmoidal nonlinearities in each pathway. The ability to systematically vary the waveforms to change a perceptual quality by changing the balance of signals between the ON and OFF visual pathways provides a powerful psychophysical tool for disentangling and investigating the neural workings of human vision.

scholarly journals Concussion and Oculomotor Dysfunction

Concussion ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 133-136
Author(s):  
Brian Hainline ◽  
Lindsey J. Gurin ◽  
Daniel M. Torres
Keyword(s):  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Convergence Insufficiency ◽  
The Brain

Oculomotor dysfunction is common following concussion, but is too often not addressed. It is not surprising the oculomotor dysfunction is common following concussion because visual pathways comprise 50% of the brain. Post-concussion oculomotor dysfunction often manifests as convergence insufficiency, and failure to address it can result in prolonged post-concussive symptoms, including headache and dizziness, especially when attempting to read. A detailed oculomotor exam should be performed in all patients diagnosed with a concussion. Oculomotor rehabilitation is an emerging strategy that can be used early in the treatment of patients with post-concussion oculomotor dysfunction.

scholarly journals A cell-ECM mechanism for connecting the ipsilateral eye to the brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianmin Su ◽  
Yanping Liang ◽  
Ubadah Sabbagh ◽  
Lucie Olejníková ◽  
Ashley L. Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Visual World ◽  
Recognition Mechanism ◽  
A Cell ◽  
The Brain

AbstractInformation about features in the visual world are parsed by circuits in the retina and are then transmitted to the brain by distinct subtypes of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Axons from RGC subtypes are stratified in retinorecipient brain nuclei, such as the superior colliculus (SC), to provide a segregated relay of parallel and feature-specific visual streams. Here, we sought to identify the molecular mechanisms that direct the stereotyped laminar targeting of these axons. We focused on ipsilateral-projecting subtypes of RGCs (ipsiRGCs) whose axons target a deep SC sublamina. We identified an extracellular glycoprotein, Nephronectin (NPNT), whose expression is restricted to this ipsiRGC-targeted sublamina. SC-derived NPNT and integrin receptors generated by ipsiRGCs are both required for the targeting of ipsiRGC axons to the deep sublamina of SC. Thus, a cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) recognition mechanism specifies precise laminar targeting of ipsiRGC axons and the assembly of eye-specific parallel visual pathways.Significance StatementDistinct features of the visual world are transmitted from the retina to the brain through anatomically segregated circuits. Despite this being an organizing principle of visual pathways in mammals, we lack an understanding of the signaling mechanisms guiding axons of different types of retinal neurons into segregated layers of brain regions. We explore this question by identifying how axons from the ipsilateral retina innervate a specific lamina of the superior colliculus. Our studies reveal a unique cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) recognition mechanism that specifies precise targeting of these axons to the superior colliculus. Loss of this mechanism not only resulted in the absence of this eye-specific visual circuit, but it led to an impairment of innate predatory visual behavior as well.

scholarly journals Rapid detection of snakes modulates spatial orienting in infancy

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Bertels ◽  
Clémence Bayard ◽  
Caroline Floccia ◽  
Arnaud Destrebecqz
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Detection ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Threat Detection ◽  
Facilitation Effect ◽  
Detection Mechanism ◽  
Spatial Allocation ◽  
Spatial Orienting ◽  
Young Infants ◽  
The Brain

Recent evidence for an evolved fear module in the brain comes from studies showing that adults, children and infants detect evolutionarily threatening stimuli such as snakes faster than non-threatening ones. A decisive argument for a threat detection system efficient early in life would come from data showing, in young infants, a functional threat-detection mechanism in terms of “what” and “where” visual pathways. The present study used a variant of Posner’s cuing paradigm, adapted to 7–11-month-olds. On each trial, a threat-irrelevant or a threat-relevant cue was presented (a flower or a snake, i.e., “what”). We measured how fast infants detected these cues and the extent to which they further influenced the spatial allocation of attention (“where”). In line with previous findings, we observed that infants oriented faster towards snake than flower cues. Importantly, a facilitation effect was found at the cued location for flowers but not for snakes, suggesting that these latter cues elicit a broadening of attention and arguing in favour of sophisticated “what–where” connections. These results strongly support the claim that humans have an early propensity to detect evolutionarily threat-relevant stimuli.

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