A molecular mechanism for the topographic alignment of convergent neural maps

Sensory processing requires proper alignment of neural maps throughout the brain. In the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of the midbrain, converging projections from retinal ganglion cells and neurons in visual cortex must be aligned to form a visuotopic map, but the basic mechanisms m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	eLife Vol. 6
Main Authors:	Savier, Elise, Eglen, Stephen J, Bathélémy, Amélie, Perraut, Martine, Pfrieger, Frank W, Lemke, Greg, Reber, Michael
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 14-03-2017 eLife Sciences Publication eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Subjects:	Animals Axons Axons - physiology Brain Mapping Computational and Systems Biology computational model Ectopic expression EphA/ephrin-As Gene mapping Human health and pathology Information processing Kinases Life Sciences Ligands Mesencephalon Mice Neuroscience Neurosciences Retina Retinal ganglion cells Retinal Ganglion Cells - physiology Rodents Sensory integration sensory map Somatosensory cortex Superior Colliculi - anatomy & histology Superior Colliculi - physiology Superior colliculus Visual cortex Visual Cortex - anatomy & histology Visual Cortex - physiology visual network Visual Pathways - anatomy & histology Visual Pathways - physiology computational biology systems biology mouse sensory map neuroscience computational model EphA/ephrin-As visual network
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Summary:	Sensory processing requires proper alignment of neural maps throughout the brain. In the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of the midbrain, converging projections from retinal ganglion cells and neurons in visual cortex must be aligned to form a visuotopic map, but the basic mechanisms mediating this alignment remain elusive. In a new mouse model, ectopic expression of ephrin-A3 ( ) in a subset of retinal ganglion cells, quantitatively altering the retinal EFNAs gradient, disrupts cortico-collicular map alignment onto the retino-collicular map, creating a visuotopic mismatch. Genetic inactivation of ectopic EFNA3 restores a wild-type cortico-collicular map. Theoretical analyses using a new mapping algorithm model both map formation and alignment, and recapitulate our experimental observations. The algorithm is based on an initial sensory map, the retino-collicular map, which carries intrinsic topographic information, the retinal EFNAs, to the superior colliculus. These EFNAs subsequently topographically align ingrowing visual cortical axons to the retino-collicular map.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 PMCID: PMC5360444
ISSN:	2050-084X 2050-084X
DOI:	10.7554/eLife.20470