# Functional neural circuitry underlying the selection of targets for movement in the superior colliculus

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2020 · $34,031

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The ability to appropriately interact with the environment is fundamental to an animal's survival, and a network
of interconnected brain regions subserves this purpose. When a part of this network goes awry, such as the
basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease, quality of life decreases and so does survival. The superior colliculus
(SC) is a highly conserved midbrain structure that works in this network as a sensorimotor hub to guide
attention and movements toward salient environmental stimuli, an essential survival behavior for identifying
food and foe. In this network, the SC presumably transforms sensory and cortical information (e.g., sights and
sounds, motivational state) into action (i.e., movement initiation); however, due to the tangle of cell types and
projections to, within and from the SC, current approaches have been unable to determine how this
transformation is accomplished. This proposal aims to uncover the functional circuitry underlying goal-directed
behaviors by examining the intra-SC dynamics that guide these behaviors. The experiments proposed are
motivated by the synthesis of behavioral and slice physiology studies that together demonstrate a functional
organization in the SC. The SC is organized along the horizontal axis to direct behavior to contralateral space
so that, for example, movement to rightward space is directed by the left SC. The focus of this proposal is on
the integrative and motor output properties of the intermediate and deep layers of the SC. Here, two specific
SC populations will be recorded from and manipulated during behavior. The first Aim will address how SC
premotor output neuron location within the SC influences the type of movement executed. This will be
accomplished using a dual-virus method to restrict channelrhodopsin (ChR2) to a specific population of SC
premotor output neurons in a cohort of animals trained on a sensorimotor task. These premotor output neurons
can then be tracked throughout behavior to identify precisely when they are active and also optically activated
to determine how these premotor output neurons drive behavior. The second Aim will investigate the role of SC
inhibitory neurons by implementing similar methods, with the hypothesis that their activity influences the
selection of behaviorally relevant stimuli. The results acquired from these experiments will inform models for
how neural circuits mediate behavior and also inform how similar circuits can be repaired therapeutically in
motor pathologies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9829595
- **Project number:** 5F31NS103305-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jaclyn L Essig
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $34,031
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-01 → 2020-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9829595

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9829595, Functional neural circuitry underlying the selection of targets for movement in the superior colliculus (5F31NS103305-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9829595. Licensed CC0.

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