# Neural coding and functional organization of the octopus visual system

> **NIH NIH RF1** · UNIVERSITY OF OREGON · 2021 · $137,319

## Abstract

Abstract
Cephalopods have large and complex brains, and in particularly a highly capable visual system.
However, their brains evolved independently from vertebrates, and very little is known about how
neural circuits in the cephalopod brain process visual information. In fact, there has never been a
direct recording of receptive fields in the central visual system of cephalopods. This study will
measure neural activity and visual coding in the optic lobe of Octopus bimaculoides, an emerging
model organism for cephalopod research. The first aim will employ two-photon calcium imaging
in the optic lobe of juvenile octopuses, combined with controlled visual stimuli, to measure
receptive field properties in large ensembles of individual neurons. The second aim will combine
this functional imaging with anatomical connectivity, identified via retrograde tracing, to determine
how visual information is routed through the visual system and into higher brain regions
associated with specific behaviors. The third aim will incorporate these experimental results into
computational analysis of the visual features being encoded, and into network models of visual
processing. Together, these aims will provide direct insight into the neural coding and functional
organization of this unique visual system.
This project will be the first to describe neural computations in the central visual system of
cephalopods. Examination of a system that is evolutionarily distinct, yet functionally parallel to the
vertebrate system, has the potential to illuminate novel ways by which visual processing can be
carried out. Likewise, observation of convergence of functional organization in cephalopods,
relative to vertebrates and other invertebrates such as Drosophila, would help identify key
features necessary for the function of complex visual systems.
In this diversity supplement, we request funding for Ms. Jeremea Songco, a graduate student in
the Niell lab, to perform additional characterization of the anatomical organization of the optic lobe.
This will extend the characterization proposed in Aim 2, to include cell types defined by
transcriptional analysis. In additional to broadening the research impact of this project, this
supplement will provide key training for Ms. Songco in visual processing, quantitative data
analysis, and scientific communication.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10310780
- **Project number:** 3RF1NS118466-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
- **Principal Investigator:** Cristopher M Niell
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $137,319
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-03-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10310780

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10310780, Neural coding and functional organization of the octopus visual system (3RF1NS118466-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10310780. Licensed CC0.

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