scholarly journals Circuit Organization Underlying Optic Flow Processing in Zebrafish

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Matsuda ◽  
Fumi Kubo

Animals’ self-motion generates a drifting movement of the visual scene in the entire field of view called optic flow. Animals use the sensation of optic flow to estimate their own movements and accordingly adjust their body posture and position and stabilize the direction of gaze. In zebrafish and other vertebrates, optic flow typically drives the optokinetic response (OKR) and optomotor response (OMR). Recent functional imaging studies in larval zebrafish have identified the pretectum as a primary center for optic flow processing. In contrast to the view that the pretectum acts as a relay station of direction-selective retinal inputs, pretectal neurons respond to much more complex visual features relevant to behavior, such as spatially and temporally integrated optic flow information. Furthermore, optic flow signals, as well as motor signals, are represented in the cerebellum in a region-specific manner. Here we review recent findings on the circuit organization that underlies the optic flow processing driving OKR and OMR.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriram Narayanan ◽  
Aalok Varma ◽  
Vatsala Thirumalai

AbstractThe brain uses internal models to estimate future states of the environment based on current inputs and to predict consequences of planned actions. Neural mechanisms that underlie the acquisition and use of these predictive models are poorly understood. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we show clear evidence for predictive processing in the larval zebrafish brain. We find that when presented with repetitive optic flow stimuli, larval zebrafish modulate their optomotor response by quickly acquiring internal representations of the optic flow pattern. Distinct subcircuits in the cerebellum are involved in the predictive representation of stimulus timing and in using them for motor planning. Evidence for such predictive internal representations appears quickly within two trials, lasts over minute timescales even after optic flow is stopped and quickly adapts to changes in the pattern. These results point to an entrainment-based mechanism that allows the cerebellum to rapidly generate predictive neural signals ultimately leading to faster response times.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Cameron ◽  
Stephen Grossberg ◽  
Frank H. Guenther

This article describes a self-organizing neural network architecture that transforms optic flow and eye position information into representations of heading, scene depth, and moving object locations. These representations are used to navigate reactively in simulations involving obstacle avoidance and pursuit of a moving target. The network's weights are trained during an action-perception cycle in which self-generated eye and body movements produce optic flow information, thus allowing the network to tune itself without requiring explicit knowledge of sensor geometry. The confounding effect of eye movement during translation is suppressed by learning the relationship between eye movement outflow commands and the optic flow signals that they induce. The remaining optic flow field is due to only observer translation and independent motion of objects in the scene. A self-organizing feature map categorizes normalized translational flow patterns, thereby creating a map of cells that code heading directions. Heading information is then recombined with translational flow patterns in two different ways to form maps of scene depth and moving object locations. Most of the learning processes take place concurrently and evolve through unsupervised learning. Mapping the learned heading representations onto heading labels or motor commands requires additional structure. Simulations of the network verify its performance using both noise-free and noisy optic flow information.


2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1685) ◽  
pp. 1241-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharoni Shafir ◽  
Andrew B. Barron

How do flying insects monitor foraging efficiency? Honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) use optic flow information as an odometer to estimate distance travelled, but here we tested whether optic flow informs estimation of foraging costs also. Bees were trained to feeders in flight tunnels such that bees experienced the greatest optic flow en route to the feeder closest to the hive. Analyses of dance communication showed that, as expected, bees indicated the close feeder as being further, but they also indicated this feeder as the more profitable, and preferentially visited this feeder when given a choice. We show that honeybee estimates of foraging cost are not reliant on optic flow information. Rather, bees can assess distance and profitability independently and signal these aspects as separate elements of their dances. The optic flow signal is sensitive to the nature of the environment travelled by the bee, and is therefore not a good index of flight energetic costs, but it provides a good indication of distance travelled for purpose of navigation and communication, as long as the dancer and recruit travel similar routes. This study suggests an adaptive dual processing system in honeybees for communicating and navigating distance flown and for evaluating its energetic costs.


i-Perception ◽  
10.1068/ic270 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 270-270
Author(s):  
Diederick C. Niehorster ◽  
William H. Warren ◽  
Li Li

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Laurel Issen ◽  
Krystel R. Huxlin ◽  
David Knill

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 766-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Diederick C. Niehorster

Although previous studies have shown that people use both optic flow and target egocentric direction to walk or steer toward a goal, it remains in question how enriching the optic flow field affects the control of heading specified by optic flow and the control of target egocentric direction during goal-oriented locomotion. In the current study, we used a control-theoretic approach to separate the control response specific to these two cues in the visual control of steering toward a goal. The results showed that the addition of optic flow information (such as foreground motion and global flow) in the display improved the overall control precision, the amplitude, and the response delay of the control of heading. The amplitude and the response delay of the control of target egocentric direction were, however, not affected. The improvement in the control of heading with enriched optic flow displays was mirrored by an increase in the accuracy of heading perception. The findings provide direct support for the claim that people use the heading specified by optic flow as well as target egocentric direction to walk or steer toward a goal and suggest that the visual system does not internally weigh these two cues for goal-oriented locomotion control.


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