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Preattentive facilitation of target trajectories in a dragonfly visual neuron

Lancer, Benjamin H. ; Evans, Bernard J.E. LU ; Fabian, Joseph M. LU ; O’Carroll, David C. LU and Wiederman, Steven D. LU (2022) In Communications Biology 5(1).
Abstract

The ability to pursue targets in visually cluttered and distraction-rich environments is critical for predators such as dragonflies. Previously, we identified Centrifugal Small-Target Motion Detector 1 (CSTMD1), a dragonfly visual neuron likely involved in such target-tracking behaviour. CSTMD1 exhibits facilitated responses to targets moving along a continuous trajectory. Moreover, CSTMD1 competitively selects a single target out of a pair. Here, we conducted in vivo, intracellular recordings from CSTMD1 to examine the interplay between facilitation and selection, in response to the presentation of paired targets. We find that neuronal responses to both individual trajectories of simultaneous, paired targets are facilitated, rather... (More)

The ability to pursue targets in visually cluttered and distraction-rich environments is critical for predators such as dragonflies. Previously, we identified Centrifugal Small-Target Motion Detector 1 (CSTMD1), a dragonfly visual neuron likely involved in such target-tracking behaviour. CSTMD1 exhibits facilitated responses to targets moving along a continuous trajectory. Moreover, CSTMD1 competitively selects a single target out of a pair. Here, we conducted in vivo, intracellular recordings from CSTMD1 to examine the interplay between facilitation and selection, in response to the presentation of paired targets. We find that neuronal responses to both individual trajectories of simultaneous, paired targets are facilitated, rather than being constrained to the single, selected target. Additionally, switches in selection elicit suppression which is likely an important attribute underlying target pursuit. However, binocular experiments reveal these results are constrained to paired targets within the same visual hemifield, while selection of a target in one visual hemifield establishes ocular dominance that prevents facilitation or response to contralaterally presented targets. These results reveal that the dragonfly brain preattentively represents more than one target trajectory, to balance between attentional flexibility and resistance against distraction.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Biology
volume
5
issue
1
article number
829
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:35982305
  • scopus:85136147254
ISSN
2399-3642
DOI
10.1038/s42003-022-03798-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b3a7812b-d1b3-4da4-8d25-bf0d8be9e6b1
date added to LUP
2022-09-23 13:50:28
date last changed
2024-07-09 02:40:06
@article{b3a7812b-d1b3-4da4-8d25-bf0d8be9e6b1,
  abstract     = {{<p>The ability to pursue targets in visually cluttered and distraction-rich environments is critical for predators such as dragonflies. Previously, we identified Centrifugal Small-Target Motion Detector 1 (CSTMD1), a dragonfly visual neuron likely involved in such target-tracking behaviour. CSTMD1 exhibits facilitated responses to targets moving along a continuous trajectory. Moreover, CSTMD1 competitively selects a single target out of a pair. Here, we conducted in vivo, intracellular recordings from CSTMD1 to examine the interplay between facilitation and selection, in response to the presentation of paired targets. We find that neuronal responses to both individual trajectories of simultaneous, paired targets are facilitated, rather than being constrained to the single, selected target. Additionally, switches in selection elicit suppression which is likely an important attribute underlying target pursuit. However, binocular experiments reveal these results are constrained to paired targets within the same visual hemifield, while selection of a target in one visual hemifield establishes ocular dominance that prevents facilitation or response to contralaterally presented targets. These results reveal that the dragonfly brain preattentively represents more than one target trajectory, to balance between attentional flexibility and resistance against distraction.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lancer, Benjamin H. and Evans, Bernard J.E. and Fabian, Joseph M. and O’Carroll, David C. and Wiederman, Steven D.}},
  issn         = {{2399-3642}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Communications Biology}},
  title        = {{Preattentive facilitation of target trajectories in a dragonfly visual neuron}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03798-8}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s42003-022-03798-8}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}