# Integration of visual information and behavioral modulation in the superior colliculus

> **NIH NIH K99** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2021 · $98,789

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Distinct visual features are extracted in parallel along the visual pathways and combined at different
levels. Two parallel pathways can be found early on, with projections from the retina targeting the dorsal lateral
geniculate nucleus, which targets cortical areas, and the superior colliculus (SC), which projects to the pulvinar
among other structures. In addition to receiving direct input from the retina, the SC also receives inputs from the
primary visual cortex (V1). These two pathways are often referred to as the primary and the secondary pathway
respectively and are inter-connected, notably at the level of the SC. Importantly, retinal and cortical inputs in the
SC converge onto one morphologically and molecularly defined cell type: the wide-field vertical cells (WFV).
WFV cells dendritic arborizations sample a large part of the visual field and span across the entire depth of the
visual layers of the SC, suggesting that they integrate both local and long-range inputs. Their morphology and
projection to the pulvinar are conserved across species. These observations place WFV cells as key integrators
of visual information across pathways.
 To understand how WFV cells integrate visual information, the investigator will perform a careful
characterization of their inputs, response properties and modulation by internal factors and V1 in two animal
models: mice (Mus musculus) and tree shrews (Tupaia belangerii), an animal model which is highly visual and
close to primates. First, WFV cells responses properties and the effect of locomotion will be characterized in
awake mice using calcium imaging. WFV cells inputs will be identified by using retrograde viral tracing and further
identified by histological methods. Secondly, cortical inputs will be isolated functionally by using a chemogenetic
approach to determine how these inputs shape WFV cells visual responses. Finally, these findings in mice will
be used as a reference as this work is expanded to tree shrews. Other studies carried in different animal models
have shown a variability in the amount of feature selectivity that can be found in the SC and in the contribution
of the primary visual pathway to visual responses in the SC. To reconcile these results, a comparative study will
be conducted in both mice, where many genetic tools are available, and tree shrews, which display high visual
acuity and visually-driven behavior. This project will yield compelling results regarding the integration of visual
information across the visual system, allow a direct comparison of the same defined cell-type across two species,
and reveal how internal states potentially shape visual responses in the SC.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10215799
- **Project number:** 1K99EY031783-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Elise L Savier
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $98,789
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10215799

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10215799, Integration of visual information and behavioral modulation in the superior colliculus (1K99EY031783-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10215799. Licensed CC0.

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