Neural Circuits Underlying Visual Processing and Behavior

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Background

From mediating rapid shifts in attention to avoid imminent danger, to constructing detailed representations of spring flowers that evoke joy, our visual system is essential to how we survive in, interpret and experience our world.
While we understand that many neural pathways emanate in parallel from the retina to compute an array of visual features, we still need to understand how each pathway transforms specific stimuli into perception and behavior. For example, we know that visual information transformed along the retina-dLGN-visual cortex pathway, is distinct from that transformed along the retina- superior colliculus-pulvinar-visual cortex pathway. However, we do not fully understand what specific information is encoded at each pathway, nor, whether and when information converge to guide visual behavior, nor, how visual perception and processes such as decision making might be ultimately governed by these networks. Much remains to be revealed about the specific circuit elements, and their function, that underlies visual perception.

Answering these basic questions is now possible thanks to recent advances in monitoring and manipulating specific neural circuits in behaving animals such as zebrafish and mice. These advances in identifying genetically defined cell types, recording neural activity chronically and at a large scale, perturbing neural activity with precise timing, and quantifying behavior during recording and manipulation, have exponentially expanded our understanding of the mechanisms underlying visual processing during behavior. Indeed, these state-of-the-art techniques have allowed us to start pinning down specific visual processing loci at the level of networks, neurons, and synapses.

The aim of this Research Topic is to broaden our knowledge of the structure and function of visual circuits underlying visual perception and behavior, and collect recent advances on the numerous neural mechanisms underlying visually-driven innate and learned behaviors. In addition, we aim to address whether computational principles are shared across different species by including studies in species ranging from zebrafish to non-human primates.

We seek novel research findings identifying the neural mechanisms encoding or transforming specific visual information mediating visual perception or behavior. This includes studies addressing the following questions across different animal models and using novel advanced techniques:

• What visual information is encoded by specific neuron types in defined retinal pathways and their projection targets?
• How is visual information processed by specific neurons in a state-dependent manner?
• What might specific response properties and circuit connectivity discovered in novel visual pathways imply for how animals produce behavior?
• Do the basic principles of visual circuit organization or function identified in simpler models such as the zebrafish, generalize to other species such as rodents, or, primates?
• Are there still yet more cell-type-specific or projection-specific visual circuits that may be identified and analyzed via viral tracing and optogenetic approaches in mice?
• Are there new innovations, techniques, or behavioral paradigms that show potential in promoting our understanding of vision?

In some cases, human studies where precise manipulation of neural circuitry with temporary inactivation during perception or behavior has been demonstrated may help us answer these questions.

We welcome original Research Articles, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, and Mini-reviews.

Keywords: encoding of visual information, visually-driven innate and learned behavior, visual circuit organization, internal-state-dependent processing, contributions of different visual pathways

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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