Horrocks, Edward A. B.;
(2022)
Modulation of visual motion processing and perception by locomotion.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Sensorimotor processing is a fundamental function of a nervous system. In both humans and mice, the intrinsic relationship between locomotion and visual motion is a highly ecologically relevant sensorimotor contingency. However, the neural encoding and perception of visual motion have historically been studied in stationary or passively moving subjects, precluding investigation into the influence of locomotion. In this thesis, I have therefore developed a multi-species approach to compare visual motion encoding and perception in stationary and locomoting subjects. In Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 I compared visual responses from eight visual areas to dot field stimuli moving at a range of visual speeds in stationary and locomoting head-fixed mice. Results from these chapters revealed that locomotion influences visual speed encoding at both slow (second(s) long trial spike counts) and fast (tens of milliseconds) timescales in single neurons and neural populations. Moreover, the effects of locomotion varied between visual areas, improving the encoding of visual speed in a specific subset of areas. Successful investigation of visual encoding and perception requires the development of behavioural tasks capable of assessing perception of basic visual features. In Chapter 5 I therefore developed a novel two-alternative choice speed discrimination paradigm to assess sensitivity to visual speed in head-fixed mice. Acute in vivo recordings in awake, passively viewing mice revealed prospective neural correlates in V1 which may play a role in perceptual decision-making during the task. In Chapter 6, I developed a task using wireless head-mounted displays to investigate the influence of locomotion on perceptual sensitivity and bias for optic flow motion-in-depth direction in humans. Results from this chapter revealed that locomotion modulates perception of optic flow in a visual speed-dependent manner. Collectively, these results reveal a profound influence of behavioural state on sensorimotor processing and perception.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Modulation of visual motion processing and perception by locomotion |
| 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 Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10151960 |
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