HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 93/3/1266    most recent 00815.2004v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Winship, I. R. Articles by Wylie, D. R. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Winship, I. R. Articles by Wylie, D. R. W.

Spatiotemporal Tuning of Optic Flow Inputs to the Vestibulocerebellum in Pigeons: Differences Between Mossy and Climbing Fiber Pathways

¹Department of Psychology, ²Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Submitted 11 August 2004; accepted in final form 8 October 2004

The pretectum, accessory optic system (AOS), and vestibulocerebellum (VbC) have been implicated in the analysis of optic flow and generation of the optokinetic response. Recently, using drifting sine-wave gratings as stimuli, it has been shown that pretectal and AOS neurons exhibit spatiotemporal tuning. In this respect, there are two groups: fast neurons, which prefer low spatial frequency (SF) and high temporal frequency (TF) gratings, and slow neurons, which prefer high SF–low TF gratings. In pigeons, there are two pathways from the pretectum and AOS to the VbC: a climbing fiber (CF) pathway to Purkinje cells (P cells) via the inferior olive and a direct mossy fiber (MF) pathway to the granular layer (GL). In the present study, we assessed spatiotemporal tuning in the VbC of ketamine-anesthetized pigeons using standard extracellular techniques. Recordings were made from 17 optic-flow-sensitive units in the GL, presumably granule cells or MF rosettes, and the complex spike activity (CSA) of 39 P-cells, which reflects CF input. Based on spatiotemporal tuning to gratings moving in the preferred direction, eight GL units were classified as fast units, with a primary response to low SF–high TF gratings (mean = 0.13 cpd/8.24 Hz), whereas nine were slow units preferring high SF–low TF gratings (mean = 0.68 cpd/0.30 Hz). CSA was almost exclusively tuned to slow gratings (mean = 0.67 cpd/0.35 Hz). We conclude that MF input to the VbC is from both fast and slow cells in the AOS and pretectum, whereas the CF input is primarily tuned to slow gratings.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Maurice, H. Gioanni, and A. Abourachid Influence of the behavioural context on the optocollic reflex (OCR) in pigeons (Columba livia) J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2006; 209(2): 292 - 301. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. R. Winship, N. A. Crowder, and D. R.W. Wylie Quantitative Reassessment of Speed Tuning in the Accessory Optic System and Pretectum of Pigeons J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2006; 95(1): 546 - 551. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]