Retinal movements in the blowfly Calliphora Stygia
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1
The University of Adelaide, Adelaide Centre for Neuroscience Research, Australia
The visual system of flying insects has been the subject of intense study to elucidate principles and mechanisms underlying ‘elementary motion detection’ [1]. Such analyses consider that large-scale head and body movements (self-motion) contribute strongly to the motion experienced. However the contribution to visual processing of smaller eye movements induced by intraocular muscles that attach to the back of the retina [2, 3] has largely been ignored. Using observations of the deep pseudopupil and recordings of muscle clock spikes, Franceschini and Chagneux described coordinated activity of two eye muscles (MOT and MOS) that shift gaze over several interommatidial angles [4, 5] with a period of 5-6 Hz.
We developed video and electrophysiological approaches to analyse such micro eye movements in vivo. We presented a rapidly scanning feature on an LCD monitor whilst recording intracellularly from photoreceptors in blowflies (Calliphora stygia). The time-to-peak in the response indicates the location of the receptive field centre, allowing us to quantify the degree to which it subsequently shifts. By comparison with a full-screen flicker control, there was a significant increase (* P<0.05) in the variance of the receptive field centre location in both horizontal and vertical directions, indicative of retinal movements of ±0.35° (Fig. 1A). In a further experiment, we used high-speed video to analyse changes in light reflectance of the body fluids. We saw sporadic periods of rhythmic fluid movement in the dissected retina with a period of 5-7 Hz (Fig. 1B, C). These lead (by 45ms) movements of the oesophagus which themselves followed known (5 Hz) heart rate patterns [6]. The degree to which retinal movements are coupled to muscle activity or hemolymph movement is still unclear. Our methods will, however, allow us to study stimuli that evoke or suppress such movements in depth, as well as their effect on downstream visual processing.
References
[1] A. Borst, T. Euler (2011). Seeing things in motion: models, circuits, and mechanisms. Neuron 71, 974-994
[2] E.T. Burtt, J.A. Patterson (1970). Internal muscle in the eye of an insect. Nature 228, 183-184
[3] R. Hengstenberg (1971). Das Augenmuskelsystem der Stubenfliege Musca domestica, Kybernetik 2, 56-77
[4] N. Franceschini, R. Chagneux. Repetitive scanning in the fly compound eye. In: N. Elsner, H. Wassle (Eds), Gottingen Neurobiology Conference, 1997, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart-New York, Vol. II, 279
[5] N. Franceschini, R. Chagneux. On gaze control in flies. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Invertebrate Vision, 2001, 124
[6] B.Thon (1980). Habituation of cardiac and motor responses to a moving visual stimulus in the blowfly. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, Vol. 94, 5, 886-893
Keywords:
retinal movements,
elementary motion detection (EMD),
micro eye movements,
insect vision,
calliphora
Conference:
International Conference on Invertebrate Vision, Fjälkinge, Sweden, 1 Aug - 8 Aug, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Poster presentation preferred
Topic:
Motion vision
Citation:
Ciobanu
LG,
Wiederman
SD and
O'Carroll
DC
(2019). Retinal movements in the blowfly Calliphora Stygia.
Front. Physiol.
Conference Abstract:
International Conference on Invertebrate Vision.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2013.25.00120
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Received:
27 Feb 2013;
Published Online:
09 Dec 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Mrs. Liliana G Ciobanu, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide Centre for Neuroscience Research, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia, liliana.ciobanu@student.adelaide.edu.au