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Neuronal encoding of rapid categorical decisions across primate oculomotor networks

Award Number: F30EY033648
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/15/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/14/2027

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Neuronal encoding of rapid categorical decisions across primate oculomotor networks - Project Summary In a professional table tennis rally, the time between successive ping pong ball hits is around 400ms. Within this timeframe, the players must rapidly categorize the motion and spin of the ball to appropriately guide the ongoing motion of their paddle to successfully strike the ball. While numerous studies have investigated the oculomotor system’s role in the visual categorization process, few have done so where the response must be initiated in advance of relevant sensory information, such as in the aforementioned example. Thus, the temporal dynamics of sensory modulation of saccadic decisions remain largely unresolved. To identify the manner in which visual categorization informs ongoing motor plans, I propose recording neural activity from populations of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), frontal eye field (FEF), and superior colliculus (SC) while monkeys perform a saccade-based motion categorization task in which motor planning always precedes the identification of the visual stimulus; consequently revealing the temporal evolution of a categorical judgment with millisecond resolution. Results from prior studies identified neurons in LIP and FEF that demonstrate categorical tuning, with increased firing rates when stimuli belonging to the preferred category appear on screen. Additionally, a recent study from our lab demonstrates the causal role of LIP in visual categorization in which reversible inactivation of LIP leads to significant deficits in categorization accuracy. However, the task structure utilized by these studies precludes any attempt to uncover the manner in which categorical signals influence ongoing motor plans, or identify differences in the timing and strength of categorical encoding between these brain regions. To date, no study has investigated categorical encoding in SC, thus we will be the first to identify its role in visual categorization. By simultaneously recording from large, diverse populations of neurons with linear arrays across these interconnected brain regions, the proposed research will provide critical insight into the temporal dynamics underlying the transformation of sensory evidence into oculomotor decisions.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $54,538 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	000	5	12/17/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,538
														Subtotal = $54,538

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $54,538 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	001	4	9/17/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$564
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	000	4	12/13/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$53,974
														Subtotal = $54,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $53,974 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	001	3	6/7/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,280
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	000	3	1/11/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$52,694
														Subtotal = $53,974

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $52,694 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	000	2	1/5/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$51,752
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	001	2	3/8/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$942
														Subtotal = $52,694

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $51,752 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	003	1	6/7/2022	NEW	-$1
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	000	1	1/14/2022	NEW	$51,036
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	002	1	5/5/2022	NEW	$717
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Vision Research	001	1	1/14/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $51,752

Grand Total All Awards = $267,496

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Neuronal encoding of rapid categorical decisions across primate oculomotor networks

Award Number: F30EY033648

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/15/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/14/2027

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