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Cited by 173Neurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchVisual perception and processing mechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Ultra-selective looming detection from radial motion opponency

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Klapoetke, Nathan C., Nern, Aljoscha, Peek, Martin Y., Rogers, Edward M., Breads, Patrick, Rubin, Gerald M., Reiser, Michael B., Card, Gwyneth M.·2017·Nature
DOI 10.1038/nature24626PMC PMC7457385
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Abstract

Nervous systems combine lower-level sensory signals to detect higher-order stimulus features critical to survival, such as the visual looming motion created by an imminent collision or approaching predator. Looming-sensitive neurons have been identified in diverse animal species. Different large-scale visual features such as looming often share local cues, which means loom-detecting neurons face the challenge of rejecting confounding stimuli. Here we report the discovery of an ultra-selective looming detecting neuron, lobula plate/lobula columnar, type II (LPLC2) in Drosophila, and show how its selectivity is established by radial motion opponency. In the fly visual system, directionally selective small-field neurons called T4 and T5 form a spatial map in the lobula plate, where they each terminate in one of four retinotopic layers, such that each layer responds to motion in a different cardinal direction. Single-cell anatomical analysis reveals that each arm of the LPLC2 cross-shaped primary dendrites ramifies in one of these layers and extends along that layer's preferred motion direction. In vivo calcium imaging demonstrates that, as their shape predicts, individual LPLC2 neurons respond strongly to outward motion emanating from the centre of the neuron's receptive field. Each dendritic arm also receives local inhibitory inputs directionally selective for inward motion opposing the excitation. This radial motion opponency generates a balance of excitation and inhibition that makes LPLC2 non-responsive to related patterns of motion such as contraction, wide-field rotation or luminance change. As a population, LPLC2 neurons densely cover visual space and terminate onto the giant fibre descending neurons, which drive the jump muscle motor neuron to trigger an escape take off. Our findings provide a mechanistic description of the selective feature detection that flies use to discern and escape looming threats.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Klapoetke, N. C., Nern, A., Peek, M. Y., Rogers, E. M., Breads, P., Rubin, G. M., Reiser, M. B., & Card, G. M.
Affiliations
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Reiser, Michael B.
  • Card, Gwyneth M.
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-11-09
Volume
551
Issue
7679
Pages
237-241
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature24626
PMC
PMC7457385
OpenAlex
W2767680158
Cited by
173
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 14 · 2014: 1
FWCI
6.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
looming detection, directionally selective neurons, lobula plate, dendritic morphology, excitation-inhibition balance, calcium imaging
MeSH terms
Animals, Calcium, Dendrites, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Motion Perception, Motor Neurons, Neural Inhibition, Single-Cell Analysis

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