Influence of the thalamus on spatial visual processing in frontal cortex
Open accessAbstract
Each of our movements activates our own sensory receptors, and therefore keeping track of self-movement is a necessary part of analysing sensory input. One way in which the brain keeps track of self-movement is by monitoring an internal copy, or corollary discharge, of motor commands. This concept could explain why we perceive a stable visual world despite our frequent quick, or saccadic, eye movements: corollary discharge about each saccade would permit the visual system to ignore saccade-induced visual changes. The critical missing link has been the connection between corollary discharge and visual processing. Here we show that such a link is formed by a corollary discharge from the thalamus that targets the frontal cortex. In the thalamus, neurons in the mediodorsal nucleus relay a corollary discharge of saccades from the midbrain superior colliculus to the cortical frontal eye field. In the frontal eye field, neurons use corollary discharge to shift their visual receptive fields spatially before saccades. We tested the hypothesis that these two components-a pathway for corollary discharge and neurons with shifting receptive fields-form a circuit in which the corollary discharge drives the shift. First we showed that the known spatial and temporal properties of the corollary discharge predict the dynamic changes in spatial visual processing of cortical neurons when saccades are made. Then we moved from this correlation to causation by isolating single cortical neurons and showing that their spatial visual processing is impaired when corollary discharge from the thalamus is interrupted. Thus the visual processing of frontal neurons is spatiotemporally matched with, and functionally dependent on, corollary discharge input from the thalamus. These experiments establish the first link between corollary discharge and visual processing, delineate a brain circuit that is well suited for mediating visual stability, and provide a framework for studying corollary discharge in other sensory systems.
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At least some of the CD for shifting receptive fields arises from a pathway that ascends from the midbrain to the frontal eye field.
“At least some of this CD arises from a pathway that ascends from the midbrain40,41 to the frontal eye field, a cortical structure that is involved in visual processing and eye-movement control42.”
From Corollary discharge across the animal kingdom (2008) · cites this paper as [40]
In the visuosaccadic system of the primate, a corollary discharge circuit has a role in sensorimotor planning as well as in sensory stability.
“One example we reviewed was from the visuosaccadic system of the primate40,62. In this system, a CD circuit has a role in sensorimotor planning as well as in sensory stability (compare FIG. 6A with BOX 2).”
From Corollary discharge across the animal kingdom (2008) · cites this paper as [40]
To date, only a few large-scale circuit-level investigations of corollary discharge that combined behaviour with physiology have been performed.
“To date, only a few large-scale circuit-level investigations of CD that combined behaviour with physiology have been performed38,40.”
From Corollary discharge across the animal kingdom (2008) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Sommer, M. A., & Wurtz, R. H.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sommer, Marc A.
- ORCID
- Sommer, Marc A.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2006-11
- Volume
- 444
- Issue
- 7117
- Pages
- 374-377
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2065943687
- Cited by
- 520
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 12.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DukeSpace (Duke University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Eye Institute
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- corollary discharge, saccades, thalamus, mediodorsal thalamus, frontal eye field, perceptual stability, superior colliculus, single-unit recording
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Frontal Lobe, Macaca mulatta, Neurons, Thalamus, Visual Perception
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