Leinonen Henri, Tanila Heikki
A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
Behav Brain Res. 2018 Oct 15;352:172-182. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.07.040. Epub 2017 Jul 29.
Mice and rats are nocturnal mammals and their vision is specialized for detection of motion and contrast in dim light conditions. These species possess a large proportion of UV-sensitive cones in their retinas and the majority of their optic nerve axons target superior colliculus rather than visual cortex. Therefore, it was a widely held belief that laboratory rodents hardly utilize vision during day-time behavior. This dogma is being questioned as accumulating evidence suggests that laboratory rodents are able to perform complex visual functions, such as perceiving subjective contours, and that declined vision may affect their performance in many behavioral tasks. For instance, genetic engineering may have unexpected consequences on vision as mouse models of Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases have declined visual function. Rodent vision can be tested in numerous ways using operant training or reflex-based behavioral tasks, or alternatively using electrophysiological recordings. In this article, we will first provide a summary of visual system and explain its characteristics unique to rodents. Then, we present well-established techniques to test rodent vision, with an emphasis on pattern vision: visual water test, optomotor reflex test, pattern electroretinography and pattern visual evoked potentials. Finally, we highlight the importance of visual phenotyping in rodents. As the number of genetically engineered rodent models and volume of behavioral testing increase simultaneously, the possibility of visual dysfunctions needs to be addressed. Neglect in this matter potentially leads to crude biases in the field of neuroscience and beyond.
小鼠和大鼠是夜行性哺乳动物，它们的视觉专门用于在昏暗光线下检测运动和对比度。这些物种的视网膜中含有很大比例的紫外线敏感视锥细胞，并且它们的大多数视神经轴突靶向中脑上丘而非视觉皮层。因此，人们普遍认为实验室啮齿动物在白天行为中几乎不利用视觉。随着越来越多的证据表明实验室啮齿动物能够执行复杂的视觉功能，如感知主观轮廓，并且视力下降可能会影响它们在许多行为任务中的表现，这一教条正受到质疑。例如，基因工程可能会对视力产生意想不到的影响，因为阿尔茨海默病和亨廷顿舞蹈病的小鼠模型的视觉功能已经下降。啮齿动物的视力可以通过多种方式进行测试，使用操作性训练或基于反射的行为任务，或者使用电生理记录。在本文中，我们将首先概述视觉系统，并解释其啮齿动物特有的特征。然后，我们介绍成熟的测试啮齿动物视力的技术，重点是图案视觉：视觉水测试、视动反射测试、图案视网膜电图和图案视觉诱发电位。最后，我们强调啮齿动物视觉表型分析的重要性。随着基因工程啮齿动物模型的数量和行为测试的数量同时增加，视觉功能障碍的可能性需要得到解决。在这个问题上的忽视可能会在神经科学及其他领域导致严重的偏差。
