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

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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

DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.001PMC PMC8190998

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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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“…studies indicates that the superior colliculus contributes to the construction of saliency maps and can influence both cortical visual areas and limbic structures, including the amygdala (Basso and May 2017; Isa et al. 2021; White, Berg, et al. 2017; White, Kan, et al. 2017; Tamietto et al. 2012).”
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Self-citation
Left-right alternation of superior colliculus activity with the stepping rhythmPreprint
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“We addressed this question by recording neuronal activity from the superior colliculus (SC), a conserved vertebrate midbrain structure that plays a central role in turning behavior 4,5 , in freely moving mice.”
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Influential
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Neuronal detection of social actions directs collective escape behaviour
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“The tectum (or colliculus in mammals) enables salience-based attention and neuronal gain across vertebrates 16,17,36 .”
Influential

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.
ORCID: Isa, Tadashi
Grillner, Sten
Scott, Ethan K.
Venue: Current Biology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2021-06
Volume: 31
Issue: 11
Pages: R741-R762
ISSN: 0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.001
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: cc-by
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (vor)
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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The tectum/superior colliculus as the vertebrate solution for spatial sensory integration and action

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