# The interaction of cortical and subcortical processing in natural sensory behavior

> **NIH NIH RF1** · UNIVERSITY OF OREGON · 2022 · $1,690,659

## Abstract

Abstract
Our brains have evolved to extract relevant sensory information from rich and complex natural environments in
order to drive appropriate behavior. Multiple brain structures can play a role in such processing, and while
cortex is often most prominent in mammalian studies, many behaviors can also be mediated by superior
colliculus, particular orienting and avoidance responses to salient stimuli. However, the relative roles of cortex
and superior colliculus, and the interactions between them, are poorly understood as the two are not typically
studied together, particularly within a natural behavior context. Here we will use prey capture in the mouse as
an ethological paradigm to study the computations performed by cortex, and their impact on SC, across two
sensory modalities - visual and auditory. Based on our preliminary data, we hypothesize that cortex is
necessary under conditions that require flexible identification of stimuli in complex sensory environments,
whereas SC serves as a specific feature detector in simple conditions. We further hypothesize that in both
cases, SC serves as the effector to orient towards prey, with cortex mediating its role in complex environments
via top-down modulation of SC.
In order to test potential mechanisms, we will first determine the role of cortex in different aspects of sensory
processing, by inactivating primary sensory cortex (V1 or A1) during prey capture, under conditions where we
vary the task complexity from isolated stimuli to complex sensory environments. We will next determine the
information encoded in cortex and SC during these different conditions via extracellular multisite recordings
during both prey capture behavior and head-fixed passive presentation of stimuli. Finally, we will determine the
interaction between cortex and SC by measuring the impact of inactivating cortico-collicular projections on
neural coding in SC. All these experiments will be performed in both visual and auditory domains in order to
determine shared principles that may serve as canonical computations in the cortico-collicular system.
Furthermore, this project builds on the complementary expertise in these domains of co-PIs Niell (visual
physiology) and Wehr (auditory physiology), who have an established history of collaboration including
developing the prey capture paradigm previously.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10455297
- **Project number:** 1RF1NS127305-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
- **Principal Investigator:** Cristopher M Niell
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,690,659
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10455297

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10455297, The interaction of cortical and subcortical processing in natural sensory behavior (1RF1NS127305-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10455297. Licensed CC0.

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