Cited by 206Multisensory perception and integrationVisual perception and processing mechanismsMotor Control and Adaptation

The tectum/superior colliculus as the vertebrate solution for spatial sensory integration and action

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Isa, Tadashi, Marquez-Legorreta, Emmanuel, Grillner, Sten, Scott, Ethan K.·2021·Current Biology

Abstract

The superior colliculus, or tectum in the case of non-mammalian vertebrates, is a part of the brain that registers events in the surrounding space, often through vision and hearing, but also through electrosensation, infrared detection, and other sensory modalities in diverse vertebrate lineages. This information is used to form maps of the surrounding space and the positions of different salient stimuli in relation to the individual. The sensory maps are arranged in layers with visual input in the uppermost layer, other senses in deeper positions, and a spatially aligned motor map in the deepest layer. Here, we will review the organization and intrinsic function of the tectum/superior colliculus and the information that is processed within tectal circuits. We will also discuss tectal/superior colliculus outputs that are conveyed directly to downstream motor circuits or via the thalamus to cortical areas to control various aspects of behavior. The tectum/superior colliculus is evolutionarily conserved among all vertebrates, but tailored to the sensory specialties of each lineage, and its roles have shifted with the emergence of the cerebral cortex in mammals. We will illustrate both the conserved and divergent properties of the tectum/superior colliculus through vertebrate evolution by comparing tectal processing in lampreys belonging to the oldest group of extant vertebrates, larval zebrafish, rodents, and other vertebrates including primates.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.001

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  • The optic tectum networks provide common body-centered frames of reference for multisensory integration and for sensory-motor transformations.

    “the optic tectum networks, that provide common body-centered frames of reference for multisensory integration and for sensory-motor transformations”

    From Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as [118]

  • Some sensory systems and neural networks involved in egocentric navigation in teleost fish are shared with other vertebrates and seem to correspond to an ancestral design well-conserved in different vertebrate radiations.

    “Some of these systems are shared with other vertebrates and seem to correspond to an ancestral design well-conserved in the different vertebrate radiations.”

    From Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as [118]

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1 of the 226 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [163]Knudsen EI, and Konishi M (1978). Neural Map of Auditory Space in Owl. Science 200, 795– 797. 644324
  2. [165]Konishi M (1993). Listening with 2 Ears. Sci. Am 268, 66– 73. 8446882

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Authors
Isa, T., Marquez-Legorreta, E., Grillner, S., & Scott, E. K.
Affiliations
  • Kyoto University (JP)
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
Scott, Ethan K.
Venue
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-06
Volume
31
Issue
11
Pages
R741-R762
ISSN
0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3166841720
Cited by
206
References
226
Citations by year
2026: 37 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 11
FWCI
4.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) (submittedVersion)
  • Kyoto University Research Information Repository (Kyoto University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Australian Research Council
  • NHMRC
  • AMED
  • NIH
  • Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
Keywords
superior colliculus, tectum, sensory maps, thalamo-cortical pathways, motor control, vertebrate evolution, lamprey, zebrafish, rodents, primates, infrared detection, cerebral cortex
MeSH terms
Animals, Cerebral Cortex, Humans, Lampreys, Primates, Rodentia, Superior Colliculi, Vertebrates, Visual Pathways, Zebrafish, Spatial Processing

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