@article{01f6fdf398b14723b061c15e75187a32,
title = "Functional organization and dynamic activity in the superior colliculus of the echolocating bat, Eptesicus fuscus",
abstract = "Sensory-guided behaviors require the transformation of sensory information into task-specific motor commands. Prior research on sensorimotor integration has emphasized visuomotor processes in the context of simplified orienting movements in controlled laboratory tasks rather than an animal{\textquoteright}s more complete, natural behavioral repertoire. Here, we conducted a series of neural recording experiments in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of echolocating bats engaged in a sonar target-tracking task that invoked dynamic active sensing behaviors. We hypothesized that SC activity in freely behaving animals would reveal dynamic shifts in neural firing patterns within and across sensory, sensorimotor, and premotor layers. We recorded neural activity in the SC of freely echolocating bats (three females and one male) and replicated the general trends reported in other species with sensory responses in the dorsal divisions and premotor activity in ventral divisions of the SC. However, within this coarse functional organization, we discovered that sensory and motor neurons are comingled within layers throughout the volume of the bat SC. In addition, as the bat increased pulse rate adaptively to increase resolution of the target location with closing distance, the activity of sensory and vocal premotor neurons changed such that auditory response times decreased, and vocal premotor lead times shortened. This finding demonstrates that SC activity can be modified dynamically in concert with adaptive behaviors and suggests that an integrated functional organization within SC laminae supports rapid and local integration of sensory and motor signals for natural, adaptive behaviors.",
keywords = "Adaptive behavior, Echolocation, Natural vocalizations, Neuroethology, Sensorimotor, Superior colliculus",
author = "Wohlgemuth, {Melville J.} and Kothari, {Ninad B.} and Moss, {Cynthia F.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Human Frontiers Science Program (Grants RGP0040, LT000279/2016-L; ONR, N00014-12-1-0339; AFOSR FA9550-14-1-0398); the National Science Foundation (Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience Grant IOS1460149 to C.F.M.); the Center for the Evolutionary Biology of Hearing (Training Grant T32-DC00046 to M.J.W.). C.F.M. worked on this manuscript while participating at the 2017 Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics Workshop the Physics of Hearing: From Neurobiology to Information Theory and Back and was supportedinpartbytheNationalScienceFoundation(GrantPHY11-25915).WethankE.Coveyforprovidingabrain atlasforthebigbrownbat(Eptesicusfuscus)andthemembersoftheJohnsHopkinsBatlabfortheiradviceandinput throughout the development of this manuscript. The authors declare no competing financial interests. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Human Frontiers Science Program (Grants RGP0040, LT000279/2016-L; ONR, N00014-12-1-0339; AFOSRFA9550-14-1-0398); the National Science Foundation (Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience Grant IOS1460149 to C.F.M.); the Center for the Evolutionary Biology of Hearing (Training Grant T32-DC00046 to M.J.W.). C.F.M. worked on this manuscript while participating at the 2017 Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics Workshop the Physics of Hearing: From Neurobiology to Information Theory and Back and was supported in part by the National Science Foundation(Grant PHY11-25915). We thank E. Covey for providing a brain atlas for the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) and the members of the Johns Hopkins Batlab for their advice and input throughout the development of this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 the authors.",
year = "2018",
month = jan,
day = "3",
doi = "10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1775-17.2017",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "38",
pages = "245--256",
journal = "Journal of Neuroscience",
issn = "0270-6474",
publisher = "Society for Neuroscience",
number = "1",
}