The effect of behavioural state on top-down processing in the mouse visual system
Supervisors:
Dr Matthew Self, School of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of Glasgow
Prof Shuzo Sakata Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde
Summary:
Visual processing is not simply a feedforward process from the eyes to the brain. Activity in the primary visual cortex (V1) is also shaped by feedback from higher visual areas, recurrent loops through the thalamus, and neuromodulatory signals related to behavioural state. However, we still know relatively little about how these different sources of modulation interact, or how their influence changes as an animal moves between states of high and low arousal.
This PhD project will investigate how behavioural state regulates top-down and recurrent visual processing in mouse V1. The candidate will use visual paradigms involving occlusion and figure-ground segregation to isolate contextual signals. Two-photon calcium imaging in awake mice will be used to study these signals in axon boutons and at single-cell level, while pupil size and locomotion will provide measures of arousal. Fiber photometry will complement these experiments by monitoring top-down and neuromodulatory pathways in low-arousal states such as drowsiness and sleep.
The student will gain a broad training in systems neuroscience, optical imaging, behavioural experimentation, viral approaches, visual stimulus design, and quantitative analysis of large-scale neural datasets, alongside transferable skills in experimental design, data management, scientific communication and independent research.