Closing the loop in dynamic vision – from single photons to behaviour in extreme light environments
This project aims to understand how nocturnal moths process dynamic visual information and adjust their flight behavior in challenging light conditions using a novel imaging system and large-scale tracking.
Projectdetails
Introduction
Driving along a tree-lined avenue, we have all experienced how the rapid succession of light and shade disrupts our vision. Such conditions push even synthetic sensors to their limits, but many animals master these challenges on a daily—and nightly—basis. Indeed, a high dynamic range of sensory information is a hallmark of natural environments.
Neuroscience Goals
Explaining how sensory information is processed with the limited bandwidth in neural circuits is key to a central goal of neuroscience: understanding the neural control of behaviour in natural contexts. This question extends beyond the processing of dynamic input by nervous systems to the closed-loop nature of animal behaviour itself: as senses guide an animal’s movements, the movements in turn shape the sensory input.
Holistic Approach
It necessitates a paradigm shift to a holistic approach considering dynamic inputs, neural processing, and behavioural strategies in concert. I propose visually-guided flight in nocturnal moths as uniquely suited for approaching this challenge.
Research Methodology
Probing the system in dim light, when vision operates at its limits, offers straightforward performance readouts for all stages of the control loop. To do so, we will:
- Design a novel imaging system to quantify the dynamics of natural visual environments from a flying insect’s perspective.
- Measure how dynamic tuning adjusts peripheral neurons to compensate for these spatiotemporal light variations.
- Investigate how these adjustments are integrated with movement predictions in motion neurons to guide flight behaviour.
Data Collection
Using a one-of-a-kind facility for large-scale animal tracking, we will record the moths’ flight behaviour at unprecedented precision to reveal the strategies that optimise sensory acquisition in these challenging light conditions.
Project Impact
Combining all stages, this project will provide a coherent framework for studying the neural basis of natural behaviour in dynamic light environments—using a unique, ecologically impactful model to close the loop from sensing to acting.
Financiële details & Tijdlijn
Financiële details
Subsidiebedrag | € 1.500.000 |
Totale projectbegroting | € 1.500.000 |
Tijdlijn
Startdatum | 1-9-2024 |
Einddatum | 31-8-2029 |
Subsidiejaar | 2024 |
Partners & Locaties
Projectpartners
- UNIVERSITAT KONSTANZpenvoerder
Land(en)
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Adaptive functions of visual systems
AdaptiveVision aims to uncover common principles of visual systems by studying contrast estimation and motion encoding in Drosophila, linking molecular mechanisms to behavioral adaptations across diverse environments.
Circuit mechanisms of behavioural variability in Drosophila flight.
This project aims to identify neuronal circuits controlling saccadic turns in fruit flies by analyzing their activity during flight in response to sensory stimuli and internal states.
Perceptual functions of Drosophila retinal movements and the underlying neuronal computations
This project aims to investigate how Drosophila's retinal movements enhance visual processing and depth perception, revealing insights into active sensory computation across species.
Tracing Visual Computations from the Retina to Behavior
This project aims to investigate how the superior colliculus integrates retinal signals to drive behavior using imaging, optogenetics, and modeling, revealing mechanisms of visual information processing.
Neural Circuits for Error Correction
This project aims to investigate the neural circuits in Drosophila that monitor and correct movement errors, linking neural activity to behavioral outcomes in walking control.
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