Monday, October 13, 2025 10/13/2025

Development of coarse-to-fine spatial processing throughout the primary visual system

Award Number: F32EY032360
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2026

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Development of coarse-to-fine spatial processing throughout the primary visual system - PROJECT SUMMARY The visual system encodes visual stimuli in a temporally dynamic fashion, where certain aspects of a stimulus are processed before others. A prime example of this trend is the spatial frequency (SF) tuning of individual neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1). These cells are initially tuned to prefer coarse stimuli of lower SF; however, throughout their brief responses their tuning profiles shift to preferring finer, high SF stimuli. This coarse-to-fine pattern of SF processing has been found in mice, cats, non-human primates and humans, suggesting it may be a fundamental property of spatial vision. Despite this, it is unclear whether this process develops postnatally in an experience-dependent fashion, like many other aspects of spatial vision. Furthermore, the neural circuits and mechanisms underlying coarse-to-fine SF processing are not well understood. To begin to understand the development of and neural circuitry behind coarse-to-fine SF processing, the investigator will study this temporally dynamic process throughout development of the mouse primary visual system. First, the investigator will characterize coarse-to-fine SF processing in V1 throughout early postnatal life and test the role of visual experience in driving this development. This will be done by using multichannel extracellular recordings in mice at key developmental ages as well as in dark-reared adult mice. Second, the extent to which coarse-to-fine SF processing is cortically derived will be determined by recording from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and superior colliculus (SC) of adult mice. The role of descending cortical feedback will also be tested by chemically silencing the cortex while recording from these subcortical structures. Finally, the investigator will assess why cortical circuits develop coarse-to-fine SF processing by determining if this temporally dynamic process enables the efficient coding of natural images. Collectively, these results will provide novel and important information regarding the postnatal development of coarse-to- fine SF processing throughout the primary visual pathway and will begin to unveil how this process relates to coding complex natural images. Moreover, the research plan described within will provide the applicant with the additional technical, conceptual, computational and scientific training needed to be a competitive, independent scientist. Finally, the proposed research will take place in a stimulating scientific environment with all the resources required to see this project to completion. This collaborative scientific community is strongly supportive of the proposed research and its success.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $30,044 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	1776 E 13TH AVE	EUGENE	OR	97403	LANE	USA	Vision Research	000	4	9/5/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,044
														Subtotal = $30,044

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $81,364 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	1776 E 13TH AVE	EUGENE	OR	97403	LANE	USA	Vision Research	000	3	5/24/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$81,364
														Subtotal = $81,364

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $49,088 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	1585 E 13TH AVE	EUGENE	OR	97403	LANE	USA	Vision Research	001	2	3/8/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$24,684
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	1585 E 13TH AVE	EUGENE	OR	97403	LANE	USA	Vision Research	004	2	6/9/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$73,772
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	1585 E 13TH AVE	EUGENE	OR	97403	LANE	USA	Vision Research	002	2	5/5/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	-$24,684
2023	2021	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 N EMMET ST	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Vision Research	000	1	3/8/2023	NEW	-$24,684
2023	2021	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 EMMET ST N	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Vision Research	003	1	5/15/2023	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $49,088

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $68,562 )
2021	2021	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 N EMMET ST	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Vision Research	001	1	9/14/2021	NEW	$0
2021	2021	RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	1001 N EMMET ST	CHARLOTTESVILLE	VA	22903	CHARLOTTESVILLE CITY	USA	Vision Research	000	1	9/14/2021	NEW	$68,562
														Subtotal = $68,562

Grand Total All Awards = $229,058

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Development of coarse-to-fine spatial processing throughout the primary visual system

Award Number: F32EY032360

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2026

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