Recurrent circuits encode de novo visual center-surround computations in the mouse superior colliculus
Name
journal.pbio.3003414.pdf
Description
Published version
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1.52 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
533d0d7de361b5fd622b8283d8cbe4d1
Author(s)
Cui, Peng
Song, Kuisong
Mariatos-Metaxas, Dimitrios
Isla, Arturo G
Femenia, Teresa
Lazaridis, Iakovos
Meletis, Konstantinos
Kumar, Arvind
Kardamakis, Andreas A
Date Issued
October 16, 2025
Journal
PLOS Biology
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Citation
Cui P, Song K, Mariatos-Metaxas D, Isla AG, Femenia T, et al. (2025) Recurrent circuits encode de novo visual center-surround computations in the mouse superior colliculus. PLOS Biology 23(10): e3003414.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Models of visual salience detection rely on center–surround interactions, yet it remains unclear how these computations are distributed across retinal, cortical, and subcortical circuits due to their overlapping contributions. Here, we reveal a de novo collicular mechanism for surround suppression by combining patterned optogenetics with whole-cell recordings from individual neurons in the mouse superficial superior colliculus (SCs). Center zones were defined by monosynaptic input from channelrhodopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells in collicular midbrain slices. Surround network optoactivation suppressed center responses compared to center-only input. This suppression is excitatory in origin, arising from the withdrawal of center excitation via surround-driven inhibition of local recurrent excitatory circuits, as demonstrated by cell-type-specific trans-synaptic tracing and computational modeling. These findings identify a local circuit mechanism for saliency computation in the SCs, independent of cortical input.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003414
