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The tectum/superior colliculus as the vertebrate solution for spatial sensory integration and action
Open accessAbstract
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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“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]
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“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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“2019; Behbehani 1995); the superior and inferior colliculi, implicated in the modulation of movements and arousal to visual and auditory stimuli (Brandao et al. 1994, 2003; Schenberg et al. 2005; Isa et al. 2021; Mulckhuyse 2018; Basso and May 2017; Cabrera et al. 2013); and the nucleus cuneiformis, linked to the modu…”
BackgroundPathways from the Superior Colliculus to the Basal Ganglia
Melleu, F. F., & Canteras, N. S. (2023) · Current Neuropharmacology · doi:10.2174/1570159x21666230911102118 · Cited by 12
“Furthermore, the complex intrinsic connections between the SC’s laminae and tecto-tectal projections allow for the construction of spatially aligned, visual-multisensory maps of the surrounding environment [25, 38, 41-47].”
BackgroundA hypothalamus–brainstem circuit governs the prioritization of safety over essential needs
Krauth, N., Sach, L. K., Sitzia, G., Clemmensen, C., & Kiehn, O. (2025) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41593-025-01975-6 · Cited by 11
“This rapid escape response mediated by visual stimuli activates the superior colliculi and may reach the MLR directly or indirectly 5,6,8,56 .”
Singh, R., Sharma, D., Kumar, A., Singh, C., & Singh, A. (2023) · Fish Physiology and Biochemistry · doi:10.1007/s10695-023-01288-0 · Cited by 9
“In zebrafish, the stratified cerebral cortex deficit is also a primary target of human ascending wake systems, although the homology linking the human cortical regions in zebrafish increases the molecular developmental pattern and elevates the dorsal telencephalon(Isa et al. 2021).”
Light conditions and the evolution of the visual system in birds
Fröhlich, A., Ducatez, S., Němec, P., & Sol, D. (2024) · Evolution · doi:10.1093/evolut/qpae054 · Cited by 9
Neural dynamics in superior colliculus of freely moving mice
Sharp, S. L., Shin, J., Martins, D. M., Jones, K., & Niell, C. M. (2025) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116284 · Cited by 9
Corral‐López, A., Kotrschal, A., Szorkovszky, A., Garate-Olaizola, M., Herbert‐Read, J. E., van der Bijl, W., Romenskyy, M., Zeng, H.-L., Buechel, S. D., Fontrodona‐Eslava, A., et al. (2023) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-41635-6 · Cited by 8
“This is consistent with current considerations ofthetectumasmorethanavisuomotorrelay,withimplementationof intrinsic processing of visual information to extract critical features and send processed outputs to the posterior thalamus and then to further decision-making regions of the brain 51 .”
BackgroundMethodLearning to fear novel stimuli by observing others in the social affordance framework
Lanzilotto, M., Monte, O. D., Diano, M., Panormita, M., Battaglia, S., Celeghin, A., Bonini, L., & Tamietto, M. (2025) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106006 · Cited by 9
Takahashi, M., & Veale, R. (2023) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.09.009 · Cited by 8
Cross-modal enhancement of defensive behavior via parabigemino-collicular projections
Peng, B., Huang, J., Li, Z., Zhang, L. I., & Tao, H. W. (2024) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.052 · Cited by 8
The superior colliculus directs goal-oriented forelimb movements
Chaterji, S., Belliappa, P. H., & Sathyamurthy, A. (2024) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115097 · Cited by 9
Phylogenetic view of the compensatory mechanisms in motor and sensory systems after neuronal injury
Isa, T., Tohyama, T., & Kinoshita, M. (2022) · Current Research in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100058 · Cited by 8
“cortices, and brainstem-relayed indirect pathways might have changed their contribution and are recruited to the recovery process (Isa, 2017, 2019; Isa et al., 2021; Nakagawa et al., 2015; Ninomiya et al., 2022).”
BackgroundSelf-citationImplicit Selective Attention: The Role of the Mesencephalic-basal Ganglia System
Esposito, M., Palermo, S., Nahi, Y. C., Tamietto, M., & Celeghin, A. (2023) · Current Neuropharmacology · doi:10.2174/1570159x21666230831163052 · Cited by 7
“Extensive literature covering multiple species highlights that SC is capable in itself of identifying biologically salient stimuli and implementing the approach and escape behaviours ( i.e ., prey capture and predator avoidance) [29, 30].”
BackgroundEyes Wide Open: Assessing Early Visual Behavior in Zebrafish Larvae
Giacich, M., Marchese, M., Damiani, D., Santorelli, F. M., & Naef, V. (2025) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology14080934 · Cited by 7
“Furthermore, specific regions, such as the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, play significant roles in modulating behaviors with visual signals, contributing to hormonal control involved with circadian rhythms [69,71].”
Liao, K., Xiang, Y., Huang, F., Huang, M., Xu, W., Lin, Y., Liao, P., Wang, Z., Yang, L., Tian, X., et al. (2024) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109009 · Cited by 7
The visuomotor transformations underlying target-directed behavior
Zhao, P., Tong, Y., Lazarte, I. P., Khan, B., Tian, G., Chen, K. K. Y., Lam, T. K. C., Hu, Y., & Semmelhack, J. L. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2416215122 · Cited by 6
Separate brainstem circuits for fast steering and slow exploratory turns
Xu, L., Zhu, B., Zhu, Z., Tao, X., Zhang, T., Manira, A. E., & Song, J. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-58621-9 · Cited by 6
“Visual input plays an important role in controlling heading directionality 31 – 35 .”
Evidence for a push-pull interaction between superior colliculi in monocular dynamic vision mode
Gil, R., Valente, M., Fernandes, F. F., & Shemesh, N. (2025) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-025-08081-0 · Cited by 7
“…visual-orienting behaviours 26 : the two SCs are connected through commissural fi bres thought to be responsible for a reciprocal intertectal inhibitory effect 18,27 – 31 related to surround inhibition and to suppression of visual inputs during saccades which would otherwise lead to visual blur 1 .”
A Novel Tectal/Pretectal Population of Premotor Lens Accommodation Neurons
May, P. J., Gamlin, P. D., & Warren, S. (2022) · Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · doi:10.1167/iovs.63.1.35 · Cited by 7
“This suggests that (1) using the production of fluorescent protein to tag infected cells is not as sensitive immunolabeling systems at these survival times and/or (2) the tectal”
BackgroundJimenez, A. S., Willard, K. J., Bajo, V. M., King, A. J., & Nodal, F. R. (2023) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1067937 · Cited by 7
“, 2012) of the auditory cortex impair approach-to-target behavior, whilst preserving the accuracy of the initial sound-evoked head orienting responses, which are likely to be more dependent on midbrain circuits (Lomber et al., 2001; Isa et al., 2021).”
BackgroundChong, M. H. Y., Worthy, K. H., Rosa, M. G. P., & Atapour, N. (2022) · The Journal of Comparative Neurology · doi:10.1002/cne.25388 · Cited by 6
“…is consistentwith the functional organization of SC into layers that form superimposed functional maps alignedwith the visual field representation (Isa et al., 2021;May, 2006) in which different points of the visual field are represented by approximately constant numbers of neurons (Capuano &…”
BackgroundNeuronal detection of social actions directs collective escape behaviorPreprint
Yu, J., Milan, J., Meyerhof, G. T., Napoli, J. L., & Lovett-Barron, M. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.09.24.678087 · Cited by 7
“The tectum/colliculus is known to mediate salience-based attention and neuronal gain across vertebrates 19–21, 44, 54, 55 .”
Early postlesional visuomotor capacity after V1 damage in the macaque
Sepe, A., Panormita, M., Eldridge, M. A. G., Leopold, D. A., Bonini, L., Vanduffel, W., & Tamietto, M. (2026) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhag138 · Cited by 6
Activity in the human superior colliculus associated with reaching for tactile targets
Prabhu, N. G., & Himmelbach, M. (2023) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120322 · Cited by 6
Accessing genetically defined cell types in the superior colliculus with transgenic mouse lines
Chen, C., Liu, Y., & Cang, J. (2025) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.112194 · Cited by 8
From retina to motoneurons: A substrate for visuomotor transformation in salamanders
Flaive, A., & Ryczko, D. (2022) · The Journal of Comparative Neurology · doi:10.1002/cne.25348 · Cited by 5
“A brain region playing a key role in the integration of visual inputs to generate eye, head or body movements to approach or avoid a sensory object is the optic tectum, also called superior colliculus in mammals (for review Isa et al. 2021, Basso et al. 2021).”
Backgroundde Malmazet, D., & Tripodi, M. (2023) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2023.102773 · Cited by 6
“The sensory domain maps the surrounding space using visual input alongside other modalities such as auditory input, electroreception, vibrissae or even infrared depending on the species [1].”
Co-Conservation of synaptic gene expression and circuitry in collicular neurons
Liu, Y., McDaniel, J. A., Chen, C., Yang, L., Kıpçak, A., Savier, E. L., Erişir, A., Cang, J., & Campbell, J. N. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-64204-5 · Cited by 6
“The SC is a major sensorimotor center that integrates multimodal sensory inputs to drive re fl exive behaviors, as well as higher cognitive functions such as visual spatial attention and decision-making 29 – 32 .”
Setogawa, T., Matsumoto, J., Nishijo, H., & Nishimaru, H. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462961 · Cited by 9
On analogies in vertebrate and insect visual systems
Tanaka, R., & Portugues, R. (2025) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-025-00932-3 · Cited by 5
Evolutionary origin of alpha rhythms in vertebrates
Shibata, T., Hattori, N., Nishijo, H., Kuroda, S., & Takakusaki, K. (2024) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1384340 · Cited by 5
“However, recent findings suggest that even in primitive vertebrates like lampreys, cortical visual pathways might exist (Isa et al., 2021).”
BackgroundBenfey, N. J., Cookson, F., Foubert, D., Cianfarano, E., Ruge, O., Benfey, A. T., Schohl, A., & Ruthazer, E. S. (2026) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116911 · Cited by 4
Where Top-Down Meets Bottom-Up: Cell-Type Specific Connectivity Map of the Whisker System
Rault, N., Bergmans, T., Delfstra, N., Kleijnen, B. J., Zeldenrust, F., & Celikel, T. (2024) · Neuroinformatics · doi:10.1007/s12021-024-09658-6 · Cited by 4
Rail Fastener Fault Detection Based on Enhanced YOLOv7 Model
Priya, D. K., P, R. M., & Menaka, D. (2023) · International Conference on Circuit, Power and Computing Technologies · doi:10.1109/iccpct58313.2023.10245076 · Cited by 4
“The SI-OOA algorithm mimics the efficient and adaptive hunting strategy of owls, enabling the model to adapt to varying conditions and improve its accuracy in detecting fastener faults [7].”
Method
Metadata
- 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)
- PMC
- PMC8190998
- 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
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- 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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