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Cell-Type-Specific Mechanisms of Contextual Modulation in the Visual Cortex

Award Number: F32EY034022
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2025

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Cell-Type-Specific Mechanisms of Contextual Modulation in the Visual Cortex - Project Summary Natural vision relies on segmenting spatially distributed stimuli within the visual environment and encoding them according to spatial context. For neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1), their response depends on the variance of visual stimuli between the classical receptive field and the surround. This property known as “surround modulation” powerfully influences sensory coding but its magnitude and sign flexibly depends on the degree of similarity of features, such as orientation, between the center and surround. The specific V1 circuits that explain orientation dependence of surround modulation are largely unknown. This project aims to elucidate the synaptic and circuit mechanisms of orientation dependence of surround suppression through an all-in-vivo approach combining two-photon (2P) targeted whole-cell electrophysiology, single-cell resolution 2P holographic optogenetics to map synaptic connectivity, and 2P calcium imaging to record population activity. The hypothesis of this project is that the orientation dependence of surround suppression depends on orientation-tuned somatostatin (SST) interneuron-mediated lateral inhibition via co-tuned excitation from the surround. As SST interneurons respond strongly to large iso-oriented but not cross-oriented visual stimulation where the center and surround are orthogonally oriented, this suggests that the tuning of SST interneurons to spatial context is key to feature dependence of surround suppression. To test the core hypothesis of tuning-specific connectivity driving feature-preference across retinotopic space, the aims in this project will first examine the synaptic drive in SST interneurons that gives rise to their selectivity for relative orientation of the center and surround, and next use a novel combinatory in vivo 2p calcium imaging/2p holographic optogenetic approach to test whether orientation-specific connectivity supports the physiological tuning of V1 SST neurons and pyramidal cells to contextual stimuli. These experiments will not only provide a mechanistic understanding of aspects of visual computation, but also demonstrate conceptual and technical advances that may be applied broadly to other key questions in neuroscience.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = $78,892 )
2024	2024	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	000	3	3/29/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$73,772
2024	2024	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	001	3	5/30/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$5,120
														Subtotal = $78,892

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $71,792 )
2023	2023	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	000	2	4/3/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$71,792
														Subtotal = $71,792

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $67,582 )
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	001	1	5/6/2022	NEW	$1,191
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	002	1	5/27/2022	NEW	$1
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	003	1	5/27/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1608 4TH ST STE 201	BERKELEY	CA	94710	ALAMEDA	USA	Vision Research	000	1	3/25/2022	NEW	$66,390
														Subtotal = $67,582

Grand Total All Awards = $218,266

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Cell-Type-Specific Mechanisms of Contextual Modulation in the Visual Cortex

Award Number: F32EY034022

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2025

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