A depth map of visual space in the primary visual cortex
Depth perception is essential for visually-guided behaviour. I will present evidence that neurons in the mouse primary visual cortex are tuned to depth of visual cues derived from motion parallax, generating a depth map of visual space. This depth selectivity is a product of conjunctive coding of visual and self-motion speeds. Depth-selective neurons can be characterized by three-dimensional receptive fields, responding to specific virtual depths and retinotopic locations. I will also present ongoing work exploring the microcircuits underlying these computations using BRISC (Barcoded Rabies in Situ Connectomics), a new high-throughput circuit tracing technique.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

I did my PhD with Tony Zador at CSHL studying circuit mechanisms of decision-making in rats, in particular the role of corticostriatal connection. I then moved to the University of Basel (and later to UCL) to do a postdoc with Tom Mrsic-Flogel, focusing on cell-type-specific microcircuits in the visual cortex. In 2020, I started my lab at the Francis Crick Insititute. My lab studies how different cell types in V1 are wired together to support computations underlying vision, combining systems and molecular neuroscience approaches.
Date: 7 February 2025, 13:00
Venue: Sherrington Building, off Parks Road OX1 3PT
Venue Details: Blakemore Lecture Theatre
Speaker: Dr Petr Znamenskiy (Francis Crick Institute)
Organising department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Organisers: Dr Mootaz Salman (DPAG, University of Oxford), Associate Professor Samira Lakhal-Littleton (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host: Associate Professor Armin Lak (University of Oxford)
Part of: DPAG Head of Department Seminar Series
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Hannah Simm