Responses to direction of stimulus movement are different for somatosensory and visual cells in cat superior colliculus

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(87)90300-3

Brain Research

Volume 405, Issue 2, 10 March 1987, Pages 313-319

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(87)90300-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

Direction selectivity is prominent among visual cells in the superior colliculus (SC). Its presumptive behavioral role raises the question of whether SC cells representing other sensory modalities involved in parallel behaviors also exhibit this property. The present experiments demonstrate that, apart from cells activated by vibrissae displacement, this property is poorly represented among somatosensory SC cells. Some somatosensory cells do exhibit movement asymmetries yet these asymmetries are not in opposite directions along the same axis, but rather among different axes (axis selective). These findings may reflect a fundamental difference in how SC cells representing these sensory modalities code movements across their respective receptor organs.

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Excitatory amino acid receptors are involved in synaptic transmission throughout the central nervous system. As the specific synaptic pharmacology of visually responsive superior colliculus (SC) neurones has not been evaluated, we have attempted to antagonize visual responses of these neurones with selective excitatory amino acid antagonists. The $N- methyl- d -aspartate$ (NMDA) receptor antagonist 3-((±)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl) propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP), and the non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) were applied iontophoretically in the vicinity of single visually responsive SC neurones. Visually evoked responses were antagonized by non-NMDA receptor selective currents of CNQX in 13 of 14 cells studied. Of 18 cells studied with NMDA receptor selective currents of CPP, visual responses were antagonized in only two cases. This study demonstrates that excitatory amino acid receptors are involved in synaptic transmission of visual information to the rat superior colliculus, but that NMDA receptors may play a relatively minor role.
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In the cat, cells of the superior colliculus (SC) and the tectofugal pathways of the visual system are highly selective for the direction of a moving visual stimulus. Deep layer units of SC in addition respond to auditory and somatosensory stimuli, but the proportion of such non-visual cells is usually found to be much lower than that of visual cells. We recorded the responses of 174 cells in the SC to sequentially presented, localized visual and/or auditory stimuli that produced the sensation of apparent motion to human observers. Controls using single LED flashess or tone pips or clicks at very long intervals that did not produce apparent motion were also used. We found both visual and auditory units that responded vigorously to the apparent motion stimuli and showed pronounced directional selectivity. However, in the auditory domain such units were rare and thus did not increase the proportion of auditory responses in SC substantially. Varying the interstimulus interval (ISI) of these stimuli, both visual and auditory, indicated that the mechanism of direction selectivity in these cells was suppression of the response in the ‘non-preferred’ direction rather than facilitation in the ‘preferred’ direction. With long ISI's of 200 ms or more, every single stimulus gave a discrete response peak of constant amptitude. For ISI's of 50 ms or less the discrete peaks merged to a continous response. Maximal firing rate in the preferred direction remained the same as for longer ISI's, but was decreased for movement in the non-preferred directions. Very short ISI's (10 ms) produced little respone in any direction. The parameters of our sequentially gated stimuli which were most effective in yielding directionally selective responses were the same in auditory and visual space and corresponded well to those that are described for the ‘long-range process’ in the psychophysics of apparent motion.
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Receptive field properties of somatosensory neurons in the cat superior colliculus
1991, Journal of Comparative Neurology
Somatotopic component of the multisensory map in the deep laminae of the cat superior colliculus
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Responses to direction of stimulus movement are different for somatosensory and visual cells in cat superior colliculus

Abstract

Brain Research

J. Invest. Dermatol.

Exp. Neurol.

Brain Research

Brain Research

Exp. Neurol.

Brain Research

A quantitative study of cutaneous receptors and afferent fibres in the cat and rabbit

J. Physiol. (London)

Receptor types in cat hairy skin supplied by myelinated fibres

J. Neurophysiol.

Cutaneous mechanoreceptors and nociceptors

Response of somatic neurons in the superior colliculus to moving tactile stimuli

Soc. Neurosci. Abstr.

Organization of fourth somatosensory area of cortex in cat

J. Neurophysiol.

Topographic organization of somatosensory corticotectal influences in cat

J. Neurophysiol.

A quantitative analysis of responses of direction-sensitive neurons in somatosensory cortex of awake monkeys

J. Neurophysiol.