# The impact of visual experience on the development of the motion pathway in the ferret

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $409,375

## Abstract

The perception of complex motion patterns, which requires integration of multiple moving elements, is impaired
in a range of developmental disorders. In the brain, processing of complex motion signals is handled by a
dedicated visual pathway that includes primary visual cortex (V1) and a higher order motion area. Very little is
known about the mechanisms that determine its development, as is the case for most higher level visual
functions. Here, we will test one factor likely to play a major role in its development, visual experience. We will
investigate when visual experience is required for the motion pathway to develop, and what kind of visual
experience is required. We will perform these experiments in the ferret, which has become a major animal
model for visual development because of its relative immaturity at birth. The ferret’s motion pathway includes
V1 and area PSS, a higher order visual area. We will investigate the influence of visual experience on this
pathway in 2 sets of experiments. In the first set of experiments, we will investigate during which time visual
experience is required for the motion pathway to develop normally. To this end, we will raise animals either
normally, or withhold visual experience for certain time periods. We will then investigate how lack of visual
experience impacts the pathway’s function by measuring direction selectivity in V1 and PSS, and signatures of
motion integration in V1 and PSS. These experiments will be performed using extracellular recordings in PSS,
and two-photon imaging combined with retrograde tracers in V1 to selectively study the responses of PSS-
projecting V1 neurons. We will also perform behavioral experiments in adult animals to investigate whether
there are lasting consequences on motion perception. We expect to find 2 critical periods during which vision is
required, an initial period for the development of direction selectivity, and a later period for motion integration.
This would demonstrate that visual experience has a sustained impact on the developing visual system. In a
second set of experiments, we will test which kinds of visual experience are required for motion pathway
development by testing the impact of different kinds of visual experience on the immature motion pathway.
More precisely, we will determine whether complex motion stimuli containing multiple moving elements, simple
moving stimuli containing only one moving element, or static stimuli can enhance immature direction selectivity
and motion integration. We expect to find that only simple motion, but not static stimuli, can enhance direction
selectivity. We also expect to find that complex motion, but none of the other stimuli can enhance motion
integration. These findings would demonstrate that different visual functions require different kinds of visual
experience for their development. In summary, our experiments would be a systematic investigation of how
visual experience impacts the development of an import...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9969501
- **Project number:** 5R01EY027853-04
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina J. Nielsen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $409,375
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-30 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9969501

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9969501, The impact of visual experience on the development of the motion pathway in the ferret (5R01EY027853-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9969501. Licensed CC0.

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