Motion Source Separation in the Cortex

Self-motion is critical for survival and relies on internally-generated motor signals that enable us to locomote while obtaining a panoramic visual update of the world around us. To achieve this the brain must solve a motion source separation problem: the visual flow on the retina caused by self-motion must be distinguished from sources of visual flow originating in the external world. The vestibular system, which acts as a gyroscope, provides sensory information about translation and orientation and could be used by vision to determine motion source. Using Layer 6 of the mouse primary visual cortex (VISp) and visual motion representation as a model sensory circuit and process, this program of work combines novel experimental apparatuses with state-of-the-art tools to determine whether the motor and vestibular systems are utilised for visual motion source signalling. We will develop a bottom-up and top-down understanding of how a cortical circuit utilises internal motion signals for representing visual flow information. Doing so will identify the role and mechanisms of interhemispheric VISp communication, constituting an important step towards developing a biophysically-realistic model of how motor, vestibular and external sensory cues are used to perform motion source separation. cortex, motor, vestibular, circuits, mouse, behaviour, vision, locomotion