Distinct processing of visual motion by transcriptomic cell types in the superior colliculus
How the brain organizes visual processing across distinct neuron types is a fundamental yet unresolved question. Here we study how visual motion is processed by transcriptomically defined cell types in the superior colliculus (SC). We generated or identified transgenic mouse lines to target three transcriptomic types of neurons in the superficial SC, the Cbln4+, Vip+, and Grp+ neurons. We find…
The brain's organization of visual processing across different neuron types remains a mystery. This study investigates how visual motion is processed by specific cell types in the superior colliculus (SC). Researchers created mouse lines to focus on three transcriptomic neuron types: Cbln4+, Vip+, and Grp+. They discovered that each cell type interprets distinct characteristics of visual motion, such as direction, speed, size, and spatial and temporal features.
The three cell types occupy separate areas on the encoding chart when exposed to natural visual flows. Additionally, the cell types exhibit unique morphology and connectivity, including their connections to the retina and within the SC. These findings suggest that transcriptomic cell types serve as fundamental computational units, each responsible for a specific set of motion features and displaying individual morphology and input-output connections.
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