The impact of head motion on vision – SensoMotion

An organism’s survival is dependent on sensing and interpreting their external environment. Sensory systems are classically described in a representational framework, in which sensory neurons encode specific features of the external world. This concept has been a guiding principle of sensory systems for decades. While this classical view suggests sensory areas are passive integrators of external inputs, much of these sensory inputs are generated by our own actions in the world. This makes it critical for the brain to disambiguate between self- and externally-generated stimuli. In order to discriminate between these two scenarios, sensory areas in the brain must receive information about changes in body movements and orientation (relative to the external world). However, how sensory areas respond to self-generated movement, and how this information is merged with sensory inputs, is still poorly understood. To understand how self-motion impacts sensory processing, we will use the vestibular system, which provides head motion signals, and vision to ask: How does head motion impact vision? Toward this goal, we will i) dissect the pathway(s) connecting the vestibular system to the visual cortex and ii) reveal the neuronal computation(s) involved in the integration of head motion and visual signals in the visual cortex. We will address these key issues using a multidisciplinary approach that combines neuronal tracing, optogenetic manipulations, extracellular high-density silicon probe recordings in awake mice, and theoretical analysis. This work will illuminate the fundamental circuits and principles of how the primary sensory cortical areas in the mammalian brain assigns causality to incoming sensory stimuli, a key step underlying sensory perception in health and disease.