Layer dependent visual receptive field properties in ferret superior colliculus

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Event Abstract Back to Event Layer dependent visual receptive field properties in ferret superior colliculus Iain Stitt1*, Edgar Galindo-Leon1, Florian Pieper1, Gerhard Engler1 and Andreas Engel1 1 Institute for Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany The mammalian superior colliculus (SC) is a highly conserved midbrain structure that responds to novel external events and initiates orienting movements. Interestingly, all layers of the SC, regardless of modality, are organised into juxtaposed, overlaid maps of space. Recent anatomical studies have provided evidence for a direct superficial-to-deep projection in the SC. However, it remains unclear how much information is conveyed by this connectivity. Here, we recorded single and multi-unit activity, along with local field potentials from both superficial and deep layers of the SC with a dual-shank silicon multichannel probe. Spatial receptive fields of the neurons were determined using small (~3°) drifting gratings presented at 20x20 different locations on a rear projection screen. The location of spatial receptive fields recorded within individual SC penetrations were very similar, as predicted by anatomical connectivity. To assess directional/orientation tuning characteristics across SC layers, full field drifting gratings were presented with 8 directions spaced equally over 360 degrees. Of visually responsive units, 22% were classified as orienatation selective, 7% of were classified as direction selective, and 5% units displayed characteristics that were intermediate to both classifications. Correlation in feature selectivity between recording sites was greatest at neighbouring electrodes, and decreased proportionally with distance between recording sites. Previous studies have focused on the visual receptive field properties of neurons in the superficial, retinorecipient layers of the SC. In this study, we record from the entire laminar structure of the SC to assess the physiological relevance of the anatomically defined superficial-to-deep projection. Keywords: Perception, superior colliculus Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neurophysiology of Sensation and Perception Citation: Stitt I, Galindo-Leon E, Pieper F, Engler G and Engel A (2011). Layer dependent visual receptive field properties in ferret superior colliculus. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00361 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 23 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Iain Stitt, Institute for Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, i.stitt@uke.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Iain Stitt Edgar Galindo-Leon Florian Pieper Gerhard Engler Andreas Engel Google Iain Stitt Edgar Galindo-Leon Florian Pieper Gerhard Engler Andreas Engel Google Scholar Iain Stitt Edgar Galindo-Leon Florian Pieper Gerhard Engler Andreas Engel PubMed Iain Stitt Edgar Galindo-Leon Florian Pieper Gerhard Engler Andreas Engel Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.