The nucleus isthmi and dual modulation of the receptive field of tectal neurons in non-mammals

Wang, Shurong

doi:10.1016/s0165-0173(02)00217-5

Cited by 62 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Nucleus isthmi and the superficial layers of the OT are reported as visual areas in birds and in homologues structures in mammals (Wang, 2003;King, 2004). However, in barn owls, these areas are bimodal (Knudsen, 1982;Maczko et al, 2006).…”

Section: Comparison With the Tectofugal Pathway In Other Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory and Multisensory Responses in the Tectofugal Pathway of the Barn Owl

Reches¹,

Gutfreund²

2009

J. Neurosci.

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A common visual pathway in all amniotes is the tectofugal pathway connecting the optic tectum with the forebrain. The tectofugal pathway has been suggested to be involved in tasks such as orienting and attention, tasks that may benefit from integrating information across senses. Nevertheless, previous research has characterized the tectofugal pathway as strictly visual. Here we recorded from two stations along the tectofugal pathway of the barn owl: the thalamic nucleus rotundus (nRt) and the forebrain entopallium (E). We report that neurons in E and nRt respond to auditory stimuli as well as to visual stimuli. Visual tuning to the horizontal position of the stimulus and auditory tuning to the corresponding spatial cue (interaural time difference) were generally broad, covering a large portion of the contralateral space. Responses to spatiotemporally coinciding multisensory stimuli were mostly enhanced above the responses to the single modality stimuli, whereas spatially misaligned stimuli were not. Results from inactivation experiments suggest that the auditory responses in E are of tectal origin. These findings support the notion that the tectofugal pathway is involved in multisensory processing. In addition, the findings suggest that the ascending auditory information to the forebrain is not as bottlenecked through the auditory thalamus as previously thought.

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Section: Comparison With the Tectofugal Pathway In Other Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory and Multisensory Responses in the Tectofugal Pathway of the Barn Owl

Reches¹,

Gutfreund²

2009

J. Neurosci.

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“…It is generally agreed that this feedback can modify the flow of sensory information from the periphery, thus mediating attention and facilitating the extraction of relevant information. Various operations such as selective gating (Sherman, 2001;Le Masson et al, 2002), gain control (Bastian, 1986a), modulation of receptive field (RF) properties (Wang, 2003), and control of bursting firing patterns (Krahe and Gabbiani, 2004) can be mediated by feedback pathways. The precise mechanisms by which feedback mediates these effects are, however, poorly understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feedback and Feedforward Control of Frequency Tuning to Naturalistic Stimuli

Chacron

Maler²,

Bastian³

2005

Journal of Neuroscience

149

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Sensory neurons must respond to a wide variety of natural stimuli that can have very different spatiotemporal characteristics. Optimal responsiveness to subsets of these stimuli can be achieved by devoting specialized neural circuitry to different stimulus categories, or, alternatively, this circuitry can be modulated or tuned to optimize responsiveness to current stimulus conditions. This study explores the mechanisms that enable neurons within the initial processing station of the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish to shift their tuning properties based on the spatial extent of the stimulus. These neurons are tuned to low frequencies when the stimulus is restricted to a small region within the receptive field center but are tuned to higher frequencies when the stimulus impinges on large regions of the sensory epithelium. Through a combination of modeling and in vivo electrophysiology, we reveal the respective contributions of the filtering characteristics of extended dendritic structures and feedback circuitry to this shift in tuning. Our results show that lowfrequency tuning can result from the cable properties of an extended dendrite that conveys receptor-afferent information to the cell body. The shift from low-to high-frequency tuning, seen in response to spatially extensive stimuli, results from increased wide-band input attributable to activation of larger populations of receptor afferents, as well as the activation of parallel fiber feedback from the cerebellum. This feedback provides a cancellation signal with low-pass characteristics that selectively attenuates low-frequency responsiveness. Thus, with spatially extensive stimuli, these cells preferentially respond to the higher-frequency components of the receptor-afferent input.

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“…The nucleus isthmi is found in all classes of vertebrates (Wang, 2003). In birds, the isthmic complex includes at least three nuclei: pars parvocellularis (Ipc), pars magnocellularis (Imc), and pars semilunaris (SLu) (see Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has characterized the Ipc as a visual processor (Wang, 2003). Across a wide range of species, neurons in the nucleus isthmi respond to visual stimuli [teleost fish (Northmore, 1991)] and have spatially restricted visual receptive fields (RFs) that are organized into a topographic map of visual space [cat (Sherk, 1978); frog (Gruberg and Lettvin, 1980;Wang et al, 1981); pigeon (Yan and Wang, 1986;Wang and Frost, 1991); salamander (Wiggers and Roth, 1991)].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory and Visual Space Maps in the Cholinergic Nucleus Isthmi Pars Parvocellularis of the Barn Owl

Maczko

Knudsen²,

Knudsen³

2006

J. Neurosci.

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The nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis (Ipc) is a midbrain cholinergic nucleus that shares reciprocal, topographic connections with the optic tectum (OT). Ipc neurons project to spatially restricted columns in the OT, contacting essentially all OT layers in a given column. Previous research characterizes the Ipc as a visual processor. We found that, in the barn owl, the Ipc responds to auditory as well as to visual stimuli. Auditory responses were tuned broadly for frequency, but sharply for spatial cues. We measured the tuning of Ipc units to binaural sound localization cues, including interaural timing differences (ITDs) and interaural level differences (ILDs). Units in the Ipc were tuned to specific values of both ITD and ILD and were organized systematically according to their ITD and ILD tuning, forming a map of space. The auditory space map aligned with the visual space map in the Ipc. These results demonstrate that the Ipc encodes the spatial location of objects, independent of stimulus modality. These findings, combined with the precise pattern of projections from the Ipc to the OT, suggest that the role of the Ipc is to regulate the sensitivity of OT neurons in a space-specific manner.

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The nucleus isthmi and dual modulation of the receptive field of tectal neurons in non-mammals

Cited by 62 publications

References 104 publications

Auditory and Multisensory Responses in the Tectofugal Pathway of the Barn Owl

Auditory and Multisensory Responses in the Tectofugal Pathway of the Barn Owl

Feedback and Feedforward Control of Frequency Tuning to Naturalistic Stimuli

Auditory and Visual Space Maps in the Cholinergic Nucleus Isthmi Pars Parvocellularis of the Barn Owl

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