scholarly journals Visual Receptive-field Properties of Single Cells in the Rat Superior Colliculus

1978 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka FUKUDA ◽  
Kitsuya IWAMA
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Visual Receptive Field ◽  
Receptive Field Properties

Anatomical and functional organization of pathway from superior colliculus to lateral posterior nucleus in hamster

1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Mooney ◽  
S. E. Fish ◽  
R. W. Rhoades
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Angular Separation ◽  
Unit Recording ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Lateral Posterior ◽  
Lateral Posterior Nucleus ◽  
Lp Cells

A series of anatomical (autoradiographic and horseradish peroxidase, HRP) and electrophysiological experiments were carried out to determine the organization of the pathway from the superior colliculus (SC) to the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) in the hamster. Small, electrophoretic HRP deposits restricted to LP labeled numerous cells in both the ipsilateral and contralateral colliculus. Over 95% of the labeled cells were located in the lower one-half of the stratum griseum superficiale (SGS) and the upper stratum opticum (SO). A number of different morphological cell types contributed axons to the tecto-LP pathway. The receptive-field properties of antidromically activated tecto-LP neurons were delineated using extracellular single-unit recording techniques. Ninety-eight percent of the tecto-LP cells recorded were isolated in the SGS and SO. All tecto-LP cells responded more vigorously to moving than to flashed stimuli, one-third were directionally selective, and one-third exhibited some degree of speed selectivity. The responses of tecto-LP neurons did not differ appreciably from those of superficial layer collicular cells that could not be antidromically activated by LP shocks. Small pressure injections or electrophoretic deposits of [3H]leucine into sites with known retinotopy in the superficial collicular laminae were used to determine whether or not the tecto-LP projection in hamster was topographically organized. Injections anywhere in the SGS and SO yielded dense label in almost all of the caudal (LPc) and rostrolateral (LPrl) subnuclei of LP, ipsilaterally, and sparser labeling in these same subnuclei, contralaterally. No injection produced significant labeling in the rostromedial (LPrm) subnucleus. Our autoradiographic data gave no indication of any topographic order in the tecto-LP projection. Electrophysiological methods were also used to map the tecto-LP projection. Multiple stimulating microelectrodes were positioned at physiologically defined sites in the SGS, and single cells were recorded in LP, ipsilaterally. Threshold currents for activation of LP cells from different collicular sites were then compared with the angular separation of SC and LP receptive-field centers. No significant correlation between these two variables was noted, again indicating a lack of topographic organization in the tecto-LP projection. The receptive-field properties of individual LP neurons (n = 211) were also assessed and correlated with subnuclear location and responsivity to SC shocks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Conservation of receptive-field properties of superior colliculus cells after developmental rearrangements of retinal input

1989 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Pallas ◽  
B. L. Finlay
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Topographic Map ◽  
Stimulus Velocity ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Single Target

AbstractThe formation of topographic maps requires not only that afferents synapse with the appropriate targets, but that the spatial relationships between the afferents be maintained. During development, in addition to the formation of the topographic map, the connectivity patterns responsible for the receptive-field properties of the target cells are being formed. The extent of interaction between these two processes is unknown. The present study addresses this question by manipulating afferent/target ratios during development, thus altering the topography of the map, and studying the effects of this alteration on the receptive-field properties of single target cells in the adult.Partial unilateral lesions of the superior colliculus (SC) were made in neonatal hamsters. These lesions result in a compression of the retinotopic map onto the remaining collicular fragment. Single cells were recorded from the superficial gray layer of the SC in the adult in response to visual stimuli. Receptive-field properties observed in lesioned animals were compared to those in normal animals and in sham operates.Receptive-field properties were largely unaffected by the change in the topographic map. There was no difference in the receptive-field size of single tectal cells of lesioned and unlesioned animals. Stimulus velocity and stimulus size tuning functions remained the same. This raises the possibility that, rather than the expected increase in convergence of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) onto single collicular cells, single SC cells receive input from ganglion cells representing the same amount of retinal area as in unlesioned animals. The excess ganglion cells created by the partial target removal would then project elsewhere and/or reduce their arbor within the SC. Regardless of the mechanism, it is clear from our results that circuitry in the retinotectal system of the hamster can compensate for conditions of increased afferent availability and thus maintain receptive-field properties.

Maturation of visual receptive field properties in the rat superior colliculus

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane Fortin ◽  
Allal Chabli ◽  
Isabelle Dumont ◽  
Svetlana Shumikhina ◽  
Stephen K Itaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Receptive Field ◽  
Receptive Field Properties

scholarly journals Visual Receptive Field Properties of Neurons in the Superficial Superior Colliculus of the Mouse

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (49) ◽  
pp. 16573-16584 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wang ◽  
R. Sarnaik ◽  
K. Rangarajan ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
J. Cang
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Receptive Field ◽  
Receptive Field Properties

Receptive-field properties in reptilian optic tectum: some comparisons with mammals

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Stein ◽  
N. S. Gaither
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Optic Tectum ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Spatial Summation ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
Moving Stimuli ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Sensory Processes

The receptive-field properties of single cells in the optic tectum of Iguana iguana were studied using the same procedures as have been used in this laboratory in studying its mammalian homologue, the superior colliculus. Surprisingly, despite some species-specific characteristics, the range of physiological properties of tectal and superior collicular cells appeared to be strikingly similar. This observation is not consistent with the notion that functional differences between these structures evolved as a consequence of the tremendous elaboration of mammalian neocortex and its involvement in sensory processes. The internal organization of visual tectal receptive fields was observed to be very much like that described in mammals. This included a similar distribution of on-off areas, the presence of both spatial summation and spatial inhibition within the excitatory receptive-field borders, suppressive areas just beyond these borders, and a marked tendency for habituation. In addition, many cells showed distinct directional preferences that were strongly influenced by the velocity of movement through the receptive field. Furthermore, the receptive fields of bimodal and trimodal cells showed topographic correspondences as in mammals, although the sizes of the fields were often large, thereby emphasizing the lack of an exact register between modalities. In contrast to the findings in mammals, however, a preference for stationary over moving stimuli was observed in most neurons, and specializations in iguana tectal cells representing the fovea were noted that have not been described in other species. These foveal specializations include a distinct preference for stationary over moving stimuli, the absence of directional selectivity, and the presence of a majority of cells responding at light onset only. It is suggested that the similarities in the organization and response properties of cells of the optic tectum and superior colliculus reflect the retention of ancestral characteristics through various levels of vertebrate evolution. Furthermore, the subtle species differences in the properties of these cells appear to reflect adaptations to specific ecological pressures rather than general evolutionary trends.

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