Network Analysis of Corticocortical Connections Reveals Ventral and Dorsal Processing Streams in Mouse Visual Cortex

Abstract

Much of the information used for visual perception and visually guided actions is processed in complex networks of connections within the cortex. To understand how this works in the normal brain and to determine the impact of disease, mice are promising models. In primate visual cortex, information is processed in a dorsal stream specialized for visuospatial processing and guided action and a ventral stream for object recognition. Here, we traced the outputs of 10 visual areas and used quantitative graph analytic tools of modern network science to determine, from the projection strengths in 39 cortical targets, the community structure of the network. We found a high density of the cortical graph that exceeded that previously shown in monkey. Each source area showed a unique distribution of projection weights across its targets (i.e. connectivity profile) that was well-fit by a lognormal function. Importantly, the community structure was strongly dependent on the location of the source area: outputs from medial/anterior extrastriate areas were more strongly linked to parietal, motor and limbic cortex, whereas lateral extrastriate areas were preferentially connected to temporal and parahippocampal cortex. These two subnetworks resemble dorsal and ventral cortical streams in primates, demonstrating that the basic layout of cortical networks is conserved across species.

Mice Can Use Second-Order, Contrast-Modulated Stimuli to Guide Visual Perception

“…5a,d, bottom, b,e, black). Consistent with the known retinotopy of mouse visual areas (Schuett et al, 2002;Wang and Burkhalter, 2007), we found that for recordings targeted at area V1, going from the most medial to the most lateral electrode shank, the azimuth of RF centers changed from more peripheral to more central (Fig. 5c); in contrast, for LM recordings, the azimuth of RF centers changed from more central to more peripheral (Fig.…”

“…Although area LM can be considered a homolog of primate V2 based on its distinct connections and the shared representation of the vertical meridian (Coogan and Burkhalter, 1993;Wang and Burkhalter, 2007), it is currently debated whether it belongs to the mouse equivalent of the "ventral" or "dorsal" visual stream. Studies based on cytoarchitectonic and chemoarchitectonic markers and pathway tracing identified area LM as the gateway of the mouse ventral stream .…”

Transcriptional profiles of supragranular-enriched genes associate with corticocortical network architecture in the human brain

“…The putative homolog of the dorsal attention network in nonhuman primates forms a canonical pathway linking the primary visual cortex to extrastriate visual areas, the middle temporal area complex (MT+), posterior parietal cortex, and the frontal eye fields (43,44). Recent anatomical tracing in mice suggest that the visual processing pathway may be similarly organized into distributed, dorsal, and ventral processing streams in that species (45). This finding would suggest that it is a conserved pathway that may have been present in the rodent-primate common ancestor.…”

Visual Categorization of Natural Movies by Rats

“…Therefore, as in primates, extrastriate cortical regions might be involved. Previous research has suggested that the rodent visual cortex consists of two streams resembling the dorsal and ventral pathways in primates (Wang et al, 2012). It seems therefore natural to suspect that the putative ventral stream in rodents is involved in learning the categorical distinction between rat and nonrat movies.…”