Department Genes-Circuits-Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Department Genes-Circuits-Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Gradute School of Systemic Neurosciences, LMU BioCenter, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Neuron. 2021 Mar 3;109(5):805-822.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.002. Epub 2020 Dec 22.
When navigating the environment, animals need to prioritize responses to the most relevant stimuli. Although a theoretical framework for selective visual attention exists, its circuit implementation has remained obscure. Here we investigated how larval zebrafish select between simultaneously presented visual stimuli. We found that a mix of winner-take-all (WTA) and averaging strategies best simulates behavioral responses. We identified two circuits whose activity patterns predict the relative saliencies of competing visual objects. Stimuli presented to only one eye are selected by WTA computation in the inner retina. Binocularly presented stimuli, on the other hand, are processed by reciprocal, bilateral connections between the nucleus isthmi (NI) and the tectum. This interhemispheric computation leads to WTA or averaging responses. Optogenetic stimulation and laser ablation of NI neurons disrupt stimulus selection and behavioral action selection. Thus, depending on the relative locations of competing stimuli, a combination of retinotectal and isthmotectal circuits enables selective visual attention.
当动物在环境中导航时，它们需要优先对最相关的刺激做出反应。尽管存在选择性视觉注意的理论框架，但它的电路实现仍然不清楚。在这里，我们研究了幼虫斑马鱼如何在同时呈现的视觉刺激之间进行选择。我们发现，混合使用竞争获胜（WTA）和平均策略可以最好地模拟行为反应。我们鉴定了两个电路，其活动模式可以预测竞争视觉对象的相对显著性。仅呈现一只眼睛的刺激通过内视网膜中的 WTA 计算来选择。另一方面，双眼呈现的刺激通过间脑核（NI）和顶盖之间的相互、双侧连接进行处理。这种半球间计算导致 WTA 或平均响应。光遗传学刺激和 NI 神经元的激光消融会破坏刺激选择和行为动作选择。因此，根据竞争刺激的相对位置，视网膜顶盖和间脑顶盖电路的组合可以实现选择性视觉注意。
