Area:
Visual system, circuit development
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High-probability grants
According to our matching algorithm, Wei Wei is the likely recipient of the following grants.
Years |
Recipients |
Code |
Title / Keywords |
Matching score |
2014 — 2018 |
Wei, Wei |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Synaptic Basis of Motion Detection in the Retina
Project Summary Direction selective ganglion cells in the mammalian retina are strongly activated by motion in their preferred direction, but are suppressed by motion in the opposite, or null, direction. They report the direction of motion to higher brain centers for further visual processing, and they contribute to the control of eye movements and, potentially, to conscious vision. Direction selectivity of these ganglion cells is attributed to multiple pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. However, the implementation of these mechanisms at the synapse level is not fully understood. The goal of this proposal is to provide fundamental insights into the structure-function relationship of the synaptic circuitry that underlies direction selectivity. The proposed experiments will focus on synaptic inputs from the starburst amacrine cell, a critical interneuron that co-releases GABA and acetylcholine onto direction selective ganglion cells. We will first determine the properties of synaptic transmission and the functional wiring diagrams of the GABAergic and cholinergic circuits from starburst amacrine cells to direction selective ganglion cells, and will then identify the predominant synaptic mechanism underlying direction selectivity. We will take an innovative approach that combines genetic cell type-specific targeting, electrophysiology, fine resolution optogenetics and uncaging techniques to characterize and manipulate the synapse types of interest, and to correlate synaptic-level mechanisms with circuit function. This work will provide definitive answers to the outstanding questions that remain about the direction selective circuit. It will also contribute to the knowledge of the general principles that govern sensory processing. Moreover, this research will provide insight into the mechanism of chemical co-transmission in sensory systems and in higher brain structures.
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1 |
2019 — 2021 |
Wei, Wei |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Circuit Mechanisms For Encoding Naturalistic Motion in the Mammalian Retina
Abstract Motion detection, a fundamental computation of the visual system, begins in the retina. In the mammalian retina, the direction of moving objects is computed by the direction-selective circuit. The retinal output of this circuit is provided by direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). These cells are strongly activated by motion in their preferred direction, but are suppressed by motion in the opposite, or ?null?, direction. They report the direction of motion to higher brain centers for further visual processing, and they contribute to the control of eye movements and conscious vision. Besides their direction selectivity, DSGC responses are prominently influenced by the context of visual environments. These context-dependent properties are central to the motion encoding by DSGCs in the natural environment. This proposal aims to address two important context-dependent circuit functions pertinent to naturalistic stimuli. The first one is noise resilience. Motion in natural scenes is often accompanied by the presence of other visual features or ?noise?. Aim 1 will determine circuit mechanisms that preserve direction selectivity in the presence of background noise. The second function is the encoding of motion contrast. Due to constant body and eye movements, visual inputs on the retina are composites of global image shifts and relative motion between moving objects and their backgrounds. DSGC responses are not only direction-selective, but also sensitive to relative motion compared to global motion. Aim 2 will determine the circuit motifs that confer DSGCs sensitivity to motion contrast. In Aim 3, we will link the algorithmic functions of experimentally defined circuit motifs to the encoding performance of DSGCs to naturalistic motion stimuli. Our proposed work combining functional, connectomic, computational and theoretical approaches is expected to produce a multi-layered circuit model that dynamically engages distinct circuit components for context-dependent processing of naturalistic motion, a dramatic departure from the current static circuit model of retinal feature selectivity. Since the connectivity patterns in the retina consist of canonical circuit motifs that recur across brain regions and animal species, our study will provide insights into the general principles of neural computation by the algorithmic functions of elementary circuit motifs.
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1 |