Visual response properties of neurons in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of awake mouse

Franceschi, Gioia De; Solomon, Samuel G.

doi:10.1113/jp276964

Cited by 65 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The alert range of crucial visual cues may come from the tuning of looming detection neurons [26]. Combined with recordings of neural responses in looming detection circuits [27], our results may help pave the way to decode the mechanism by which the visual innate fear circuit in mice processes these visual threats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

A simple threat-detection strategy in mice

et al. 2020

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Background: Avoiding danger and accessing environmental resources are two fundamental, yet conflicting, survival instincts across species. To maintain a balance between these instincts, animals must efficiently distinguish approaching threats from low-threat cues. However, little is known about the key visual features that animals use to promptly detect such imminent danger and thus facilitate an immediate and appropriate behavioral response. Results: We used an automatic behavior detection system in mice to quantify innate defensive behaviors, including freezing, flight, and rearing, to a series of looming visual stimuli with varying expanding speeds and varying initial and final sizes. Looming visual stimuli within a specific "alert range" induced flight behavior in mice. Looming stimuli with an angular size of 10-40°and an expanding speed of 57-320°/s were in this range. Stimuli with relatively low expanding speeds tended to trigger freezing behavior, while those with relatively high expanding speeds tended to trigger rearing behavior. If approaching objects are in this "alert range," their visual features will trigger a flight response; however, non-threatening objects, based on object size and speed, will not. Conclusions: These results indicate a simple strategy in mice that is used to detect predators and suggest countermeasures that predators may have taken to overcome these defensive strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

A simple threat-detection strategy in mice

et al. 2020

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“…The excitability of individual neurons can be assessed e.g., by intracellular recordings or patch-clamping (Cowan and Wilson, 1994;Hutcheon et al, 1996;Uusisaari et al, 2007;Gentet et al, 2010;Segev et al, 2016) (see Box 2). The excitability of multiple neurons or neuronal populations, on the other hand, can be monitored by extracellular field recordings (Jun et al, 2017;De Franceschi and Solomon, 2018) or optical means, such as voltage sensitive dyes (Kuhn et al, 2008;Akemann et al, 2013) or calcium indicators (Stosiek et al, 2003;Chen J.L. et al, 2013).…”

Section: What Is "Excitability" and How Is It Assessed In Humans And mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exciting Complexity: The Role of Motor Circuit Elements in ALS Pathophysiology

Gunes

Kan

et al. 2020

Front. Neurosci.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease, characterized by the degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons. Despite decades of research, we still to date lack a cure or disease modifying treatment, emphasizing the need for a muchimproved insight into disease mechanisms and cell type vulnerability. Altered neuronal excitability is a common phenomenon reported in ALS patients, as well as in animal models of the disease, but the cellular and circuit processes involved, as well as the causal relevance of those observations to molecular alterations and final cell death, remain poorly understood. Here, we review evidence from clinical studies, cell typespecific electrophysiology, genetic manipulations and molecular characterizations in animal models and culture experiments, which argue for a causal involvement of complex alterations of structure, function and connectivity of different neuronal subtypes within the cortical and spinal cord motor circuitries. We also summarize the current knowledge regarding the detrimental role of astrocytes and reassess the frequently proposed hypothesis of glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity with respect to changes in neuronal excitability. Together, these findings suggest multifaceted cell type-, brain area-and disease stage-specific disturbances of the excitation/inhibition balance as a cardinal aspect of ALS pathophysiology.

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“…Mice habituate their defensive reaction to a repeatedly looming stimulus (Salay et al, 2018), but whether they show stimulus-selectivity in their defensive response to visual stimuli is not known. Here, we adapted the mouse behavioural paradigm of De Franceschi and colleagues and passed dark stimuli overhead, similar to birds of prey cruising the sky (De Franceschi & Solomon, 2018). We repeated the passing stimuli in several sessions to study if habituation of the defensive behaviour occurs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual stimulus-specific habituation of innate defensive behaviour in mice

Tafreshiha

Burg

Smits

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Innate defensive responses such as freezing or escape are essential for animal survival. Mice show defensive behaviour to stimuli sweeping overhead, like a bird cruising the sky. Here, we found that mice reduced their defensive freezing after sessions with a stimulus passing overhead repeatedly. This habituation is stimulus-specific, as mice freeze again to a novel shape. This allows us to investigate the invariances in the mouse visual system. The mice generalize over retinotopic location and over size and shape, but distinguish objects when they differ in both size and shape. Innate visual defensive responses are thus strongly influenced by previous experience as mice learn to ignore specific stimuli. This form of learning occurs at the level of a location-independent representation.

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Visual response properties of neurons in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of awake mouse

Cited by 65 publications

References 69 publications

A simple threat-detection strategy in mice

A simple threat-detection strategy in mice

Exciting Complexity: The Role of Motor Circuit Elements in ALS Pathophysiology

Visual stimulus-specific habituation of innate defensive behaviour in mice

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