Cooperative processing of visual threat across collicular pathways
10 affiliations
- 1VIB Center for Neuroscience. Leuven, Belgium.
- 2Department of Biology, KU Leuven. Leuven, Belgium.
- 3Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
- 4Paris Brain Institute. Paris, France.
- 5Imec. Leuven, Belgium.
- 6VIB Center for AI and Computational Biology. Leuven, Belgium.
- 7Department of Computer Science, KU Leuven. Leuven, Belgium.
- 8Department of Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven. Leuven, Belgium.
- 9Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven. Leuven, Belgium.
- 10Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven. Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract
Rapid defensive actions require the transformation of sensory cues into appropriate motor responses. The superior colliculus is central to this transformation, containing defined cell-types that form parallel output pathways linking visual inputs to distinct behaviors. However, whether these pathways act independently or cooperate remains unclear. Here we combine cell-type-specific inhibition, large-scale electrophysiology, and functional ultrasound imaging to determine how these pathways contribute to visually evoked defensive behaviors. Inhibiting either narrow-field or wide-field neurons impaired escape to overhead visual threats, demonstrating that both pathways contribute to escape. Recordings from downstream targets revealed a compact representation in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus that selectively distinguished visual stimuli associated with escape, whereas the lateral posterior thalamus contained a broader representation of visual stimuli. The representation of visual threat in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus predicted escape initiation and vigor in freely moving animals. Across the brain, functional ultrasound imaging showed that visual stimuli recruited distinct patterns of activity that could not be explained by response magnitude alone or by the contribution of single cell-types. Together, these results reveal a cooperative circuit architecture in which parallel pathways carry distinct but complementary signals that jointly support visually evoked escape.
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BibTeX
@misc{nuttin2026cooperative,
title = {{Cooperative processing of visual threat across collicular pathways}},
author = {Bram Nuttin and Arnau Sans-Dublanc and Anna Chrzanowska and Chen Liu and Zoi Drakaki and Laura Hanson and Rik Luykx and Amber Bruynsteen and Adrien Philippon and Micheline Grillet and Norma Kühn and Pedro J. Gonçalves and Gabriel Montaldo and Vincent Bonin and Alan Urban and Karl Farrow},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.12.758428},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.758428v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Cooperative processing of visual threat across collicular pathways
AU - Bram Nuttin
AU - Arnau Sans-Dublanc
AU - Anna Chrzanowska
AU - Chen Liu
AU - Zoi Drakaki
AU - Laura Hanson
AU - Rik Luykx
AU - Amber Bruynsteen
AU - Adrien Philippon
AU - Micheline Grillet
AU - Norma Kühn
AU - Pedro J. Gonçalves
AU - Gabriel Montaldo
AU - Vincent Bonin
AU - Alan Urban
AU - Karl Farrow
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.12.758428
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.758428v1
AB - Rapid defensive actions require the transformation of sensory cues into appropriate motor responses. The superior colliculus is central to this transformation, containing defined cell-types that form parallel output pathways linking visual inputs to distinct behaviors. However, whether these pathways act independently or cooperate remains unclear. Here we combine cell-type-specific inhibition, large-scale electrophysiology, and functional ultrasound imaging to determine how these pathways contribute to visually evoked defensive behaviors. Inhibiting either narrow-field or wide-field neurons impaired escape to overhead visual threats, demonstrating that both pathways contribute to escape. Recordings from downstream targets revealed a compact representation in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus that selectively distinguished visual stimuli associated with escape, whereas the lateral posterior thalamus contained a broader representation of visual stimuli. The representation of visual threat in the deeper layers of the superior colliculus predicted escape initiation and vigor in freely moving animals. Across the brain, functional ultrasound imaging showed that visual stimuli recruited distinct patterns of activity that could not be explained by response magnitude alone or by the contribution of single cell-types. Together, these results reveal a cooperative circuit architecture in which parallel pathways carry distinct but complementary signals that jointly support visually evoked escape.
SN - 2692-8205
ER -