Contributions of superior colliculus and primary visual cortex to visual spatial detection in freely moving mice

Visual spatial detection is a crucial first step in vision to guide decision-making and action. However, its neural basis in freely behaving animals remains unclear due to challenges in controlling visual input and monitoring eye- and head-position.

A new study in Current Biology by Jisoo Kim (PhD student at PDN, funded by Wolfson College, PDN and SBS, continuing as postdoc at PDN) in the lab of Dr Jasper Poort and in collaboration with Dr Riccardo Beltramo, investigated how the superior colliculus (SC) and primary visual cortex (V1), two key visual processing hubs in mammals, contribute to visual spatial detection.

The authors developed a novel method for investigating the neural mechanisms underlying visual spatial detection in freely moving mice. Their approach integrated closed-loop visual stimulus delivery with neural recordings, optogenetic perturbations, and simultaneous tracking of eye and head movements. They found that neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) were more predictive of reaction times than those in primary visual cortex (V1), and that SC neurons displayed more sustained activity than V1 neurons during visual detection. Optogenetic silencing of either SC or V1 produced pervasive yet highly localized disruptions in detection performance, with SC silencing exerting a stronger effect than V1 silencing. Together, the findings from this study reveal distinct activity patterns in two major early visual processing regions and clarify their relative causal roles in visual spatial detection.

Read the article “Contributions of superior colliculus and primary visual cortex to visual spatial detection in freely moving mice” by Jisoo Kim, Riccardo Beltramo, and Jasper Poort at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.077