Neural arithmetic of motion vision

Projektinformationen

MOVIS

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 896143

DOI

10.3030/896143

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 23 März 2020

Startdatum 1 Juli 2021

Enddatum 30 Juni 2023

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten

€ 174 806,40

EU-Beitrag

€ 174 806,40

Koordiniert durch

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MOVIS (Neural arithmetic of motion vision)

Berichtszeitraum: 2021-07-01 bis 2023-06-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

The brain is thought to derive much of its computational power from arithmetic operations carried out by individual nerve cells. The aim of the project ‘Neural arithmetic of motion vision’ — MOVIS is to understand how these arithmetic operations are implemented at the cellular and molecular level.
The visual system in the brain of the fruit fly houses nerve cells with remarkable abilities: These neurons compute the direction of visual motion based on information from adjacent light-sensitive cells of the eye. A formal model postulates that this would require the multiplication of two signals, but how a single nerve cell can perform a multiplication has been a puzzle for decades.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

Work performed over the course of the project describes how direction-selective neurons implement such a multiplicative mathematical operation. Experiments measuring the voltages across the surfaces of nerve cells in live flies revealed that the electrical activities of these cells are subject to constant inhibition. A brief release from this inhibitory signal, occurring only when visual stimuli move along one specific direction, amplifies the coincident excitatory signal from a neighbouring location. This amplification is formally equivalent to a multiplication. The nerve cell’s ability to multiply was linked to a receptor molecule on its surface. Animals lacking this receptor on direction-selective neurons failed to stay on course in a virtual reality. This illustrates the behavioural relevance of a specific computation in a clearly defined type of neuron.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

Similar neural computations are thought to underly our abilities to localize sounds, to navigate, or to focus our attention. The comparatively simple brain of the fruit fly offers an unparalleled opportunity to draw back the curtain on some of these seemingly intractable neuroscientific problems.

Orderly array of neurons in the visual system of the fruit fly.