Wheatcroft, Thomas George;
(2022)
Projection-specific anatomy, physiology and behaviour in the mouse superior colliculus.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) projects to other brain centres through multiple pathways, which are thought to be important in rapid, visually guided behaviours. Projections to the visual thalamus and the periaqueductal gray have been hypothesised to be important for visually-guided defensive behaviour, however, the extent to which these projections are anatomically and functionally distinct remains poorly understood. Further still, our understanding of the influence of these pathways on visually-guided defensive responses is incomplete. We tested the anatomical localisation and segregation of the SC cells projecting to each target using dual retrograde tracing. Through injecting CTB protein conjugated to different fluorophores into the visual thalamus and periaqueductal gray, we found intermingled yet separate SC populations projecting to each target. We took advantage of the intermingled yet separate nature of the two SC output pathways to measure their functional properties. Injecting retrogradelytransported cre virus into either the visual thalamus or periaqueductal gray, we gated expression of GCaMP7s in the SC. We implanted a lens above the SC and measured the global, calcium-dependent fluorescent signal while presenting visual stimuli to head-fixed mice free to run on a treadmill. Employing different visual stimuli, we observed that while there was shared visual tuning between the two SC output pathways, they exhibited different dynamics and responses to the animal’s own movement. Finally, we performed behavioural experiments to better understand the roles each pathway might play in defensive behavioural responses. Our results inform theories about the neural pathways that allow mice to produce defensive responses to visual threats.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Projection-specific anatomy, physiology and behaviour in the mouse superior colliculus |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10143220 |
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