Function, diversity, and circuitry of parallel retinal ganglion cell pathways

The goal of this research is to understand how the retina contributes to motion processing in the dorsal visual pathway. The neural circuitry within the retina extracts visual information and sends that information through the axons of retinal ganglion cells to the visual thalamus and, subsequently, to the cortex. Much is known about the neural pathways that perform motion computations in the cortex, but far less is known about how the retina contributes to this pathway. The proposed research will further our understanding of how the retina contributes to motion processing and the mechanisms that contribute to this neural computation. Our first aim will directly determine whether selectivity for object versus background motion is present in the retina and the neural mechanisms that mediate these computations. Our second aim will study circuits tasked with detecting the orientation and motion of visual objects. Our third aim will test whether signals from short-wavelength-sensitive cones are utilized for neural computations outside of classical color vision. If successful, this research will provide several significant contributions. First, it will increase our understanding about how ethologically relevant information is encoded in parallel neural circuits—a fundamental goal of systems neuroscience. Second, it will explain how excitatory and inhibitory neural networks differentially shape information flow and contribute to neural computations. Finally, these findings will be applicable immediately to ongoing development of retinal prostheses and other techniques designed to restore visual function in blind humans.