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Responses of the teleostean nucleus isthmi to looming objects and other moving stimuli

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2006

SHAWN P. GALLAGHER  and
DAVID P.M. NORTHMORE
SHAWN P. GALLAGHER
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Millersville University, Milersville, Pennsylvania
DAVID P.M. NORTHMORE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
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Abstract

Visually evoked extracellular neural activity was recorded from the nucleus isthmi (NI) of goldfish and bluegill sunfish. When moving anywhere within the right eye's visual field, three-dimensional checkered balls or patterns on a computer screen evoked bursts of spikes in the left NI. Object motion parallel to the longitudinal body axis gave responses that habituated markedly upon repetition, but movement into recently unstimulated regions of the visual field gave vigorous responses. Thus, while NI's response is not visuotopic, its habituation is. An object approaching the animal's body generated a rising spike density, whereas object recession generated only a transient burst. During the approach of a checkered stimulus ball, average NI spike density rose linearly as the ball-to-eye distance decreased and at a rate proportional to the ball's speed (2.5–30 cm/s). Increasing ball size (2.2–9.2 cm) did not affect the rate of activity rise at a given speed, but did increase overall activity levels. NI also responded reliably to expanding textures of fixed overall size. The results suggest that NI signals changes in motion of objects relative to the fish, and estimates the proximity of approaching objects.

Keywords

Nucleus isthmiOptic tectumTeleostLoomingMotion
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , March 2006 , pp. 209 - 219
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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