visual abstracts

Project diagram showing multisensory integration in the sensorimotor control loop. Optic flow and somatosensory cues generated by behavior are detected by sensors and transformed into neural signals and motor commands. Generalized anatomical pathways explored in this project are shown in center. Visual (fuscia) midbrain-ponto-cerebellar & somatosensory (teal) cortico-ponto0cerebellar pathways. TeO = optic tectum.

Global motion pathway: the accessory optic system. The retina projects (violet lines) to the contralateral lentiformis mesencephali (LM; homologous to mammalian nucleus of the optic tract) and the nucleus of the basal optic root (nBOR). The LM and nBOR project to follium IXcd of the vestibulocerebellum (via mossy fibers) and to the medial column of the inferior olive (mcIO, blue lines). The mcIO projects to IXcd via climbing fibers (yellow lines).

Representative raw trace. LM neuron activity in response to global motion in the preferred (black arrows) and anti-preferred (gray arrows) directions at a range of speeds.