Project description
A mechanistic understanding of retinal circuits’ behavioural relevance
Our eyes receive millions of bits of information every second. The visual system extracts relevant features to transmit to the brain through up to 40 channels. However, how the brain processes this information from the various channels remains unclear. In this context, the ERC-funded Eye to Action project aims to elucidate how the mouse superior colliculus integrates retinal signals to drive behaviour. It will employ an interdisciplinary approach, integrating imaging, modelling and behavioural analysis. By examining a specific brain area from retinal input to behaviour in an ecological setting, the project will offer a mechanistic understanding of the behavioural relevance of retinal circuits. Overall, the project seeks to establish a causal link between retinal function and distinct behaviours.
Objective
Every second, millions of bits of information enter our eyes. How does the brain identify task-relevant information from this gigantic input stream? This key challenge of the visual system is tackled by substantially processing the sensory input for behavioral relevance. Already in the retina, the front-end of the visual system, neuronal circuits extract multiple features from the environment and form up to 40 channels to the brain. So far, however, one of the basic principles underlying vision, namely how the brain processes these multiple channels from the eye, remains fundamentally unclear.
In this proposal, I will focus on the superior colliculus, an evolutionary conserved retino-recipient brain area critically involved in visuomotor transformations, and solve the following problem: How do neuronal circuits in mouse superior colliculus integrate retinal signals to drive behavior? I will implement an interdisciplinary approach that combines population imaging of neuronal activity in behaving mice with optogenetic manipulations, deep neural network modeling, and quantitative behavioral analysis. By modeling a defined brain area all the way from the retinal input to its role in behavior in an ecological setting, I will mechanistically dissect the behavioral relevance of retinal circuits.
My work will uncover general principles of how diverse retinal channels are represented in downstream targets, identify elemental convergence rules of feedforward retinal signals in postsynaptic neurons, and causally link retinal function to distinct behaviors. If successful, my proposal will reveal fundamental neuronal and computational mechanisms used by the visual system to convert a complex visual input into action. My approach can be adapted to other sensory modalities, guiding the design of innovative experiments and analyses. The identified mechanisms of efficient information processing will also contribute to the development of robust neuro-inspired artificial intelligence.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineophthalmology
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencedata processing
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputational intelligence
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
72074 Tuebingen
Germany