@article{12349,
  abstract     = {Statistics of natural scenes are not uniform - their structure varies dramatically from ground to sky. It remains unknown whether these non-uniformities are reflected in the large-scale organization of the early visual system and what benefits such adaptations would confer. Here, by relying on the efficient coding hypothesis, we predict that changes in the structure of receptive fields across visual space increase the efficiency of sensory coding. We show experimentally that, in agreement with our predictions, receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells change their shape along the dorsoventral retinal axis, with a marked surround asymmetry at the visual horizon. Our work demonstrates that, according to principles of efficient coding, the panoramic structure of natural scenes is exploited by the retina across space and cell-types.},
  author       = {Gupta, Divyansh and Mlynarski, Wiktor F and Sumser, Anton L and Symonova, Olga and Svaton, Jan and Jösch, Maximilian A},
  issn         = {1546-1726},
  journal      = {Nature Neuroscience},
  pages        = {606--614},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Panoramic visual statistics shape retina-wide organization of receptive fields}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41593-023-01280-0},
  volume       = {26},
  year         = {2023},
}

@misc{12370,
  abstract     = {Statistics of natural scenes are not uniform - their structure varies dramatically from ground to sky. It remains unknown whether these non-uniformities are reflected in the large-scale organization of the early visual system and what benefits such adaptations would confer. Here, by relying on the efficient coding hypothesis, we predict that changes in the structure of receptive fields across visual space increase the efficiency of sensory coding. We show experimentally that, in agreement with our predictions, receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells change their shape along the dorsoventral retinal axis, with a marked surround asymmetry at the visual horizon. Our work demonstrates that, according to principles of efficient coding, the panoramic structure of natural scenes is exploited by the retina across space and cell-types. },
  author       = {Gupta, Divyansh and Sumser, Anton L and Jösch, Maximilian A},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{Research Data for: Panoramic visual statistics shape retina-wide organization of receptive fields}},
  doi          = {10.15479/AT:ISTA:12370},
  year         = {2023},
}

@phdthesis{12716,
  abstract     = {The process of detecting and evaluating sensory information to guide behaviour is termed perceptual decision-making (PDM), and is critical for the ability of an organism to interact with its external world. Individuals with autism, a neurodevelopmental condition primarily characterised by social and communication difficulties, frequently exhibit altered sensory processing and PDM difficulties are widely reported. Recent technological advancements have pushed forward our understanding of the genetic changes accompanying this condition, however our understanding of how these mutations affect the function of specific neuronal circuits and bring about the corresponding behavioural changes remains limited. Here, we use an innate PDM task, the looming avoidance response (LAR) paradigm, to identify a convergent behavioural abnormality across three molecularly distinct genetic mouse models of autism (Cul3, Setd5 and Ptchd1). Although mutant mice can rapidly detect threatening visual stimuli, their responses are consistently delayed, requiring longer to initiate an appropriate response than their wild-type siblings. Mutant animals show abnormal adaptation in both their stimulus- evoked escape responses and exploratory dynamics following repeated stimulus presentations. Similarly delayed behavioural responses are observed in wild-type animals when faced with more ambiguous threats, suggesting the mutant phenotype could arise from a dysfunction in the flexible control of this PDM process.
Our knowledge of the core neuronal circuitry mediating the LAR facilitated a detailed dissection of the neuronal mechanisms underlying the behavioural impairment. In vivo extracellular recording revealed that visual responses were unaffected within a key brain region for the rapid processing of visual threats, the superior colliculus (SC), indicating that the behavioural delay was unlikely to originate from sensory impairments. Delayed behavioural responses were recapitulated in the Setd5 model following optogenetic stimulation of the excitatory output neurons of the SC, which are known to mediate escape initiation through the activation of cells in the underlying dorsal periaqueductal grey (dPAG). In vitro patch-clamp recordings of dPAG cells uncovered a stark hypoexcitability phenotype in two out of the three genetic models investigated (Setd5 and Ptchd1), that in Setd5, is mediated by the misregulation of voltage-gated potassium channels. Overall, our results show that the ability to use visual information to drive efficient escape responses is impaired in three diverse genetic mouse models of autism and that, in one of the models studied, this behavioural delay likely originates from differences in the intrinsic excitability of a key subcortical node, the dPAG. Furthermore, this work showcases the use of an innate behavioural paradigm to mechanistically dissect PDM processes in autism.},
  author       = {Burnett, Laura},
  issn         = {2663-337X},
  pages        = {178},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{To flee, or not to flee? Using innate defensive behaviours to investigate rapid perceptual decision-making through subcortical circuits in mouse models of autism}},
  doi          = {10.15479/at:ista:12716},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{12288,
  abstract     = {To understand the function of neuronal circuits, it is crucial to disentangle the connectivity patterns within the network. However, most tools currently used to explore connectivity have low throughput, low selectivity, or limited accessibility. Here, we report the development of an improved packaging system for the production of the highly neurotropic RVdGenvA-CVS-N2c rabies viral vectors, yielding titers orders of magnitude higher with no background contamination, at a fraction of the production time, while preserving the efficiency of transsynaptic labeling. Along with the production pipeline, we developed suites of ‘starter’ AAV and bicistronic RVdG-CVS-N2c vectors, enabling retrograde labeling from a wide range of neuronal populations, tailored for diverse experimental requirements. We demonstrate the power and flexibility of the new system by uncovering hidden local and distal inhibitory connections in the mouse hippocampal formation and by imaging the functional properties of a cortical microcircuit across weeks. Our novel production pipeline provides a convenient approach to generate new rabies vectors, while our toolkit flexibly and efficiently expands the current capacity to label, manipulate and image the neuronal activity of interconnected neuronal circuits in vitro and in vivo.},
  author       = {Sumser, Anton L and Jösch, Maximilian A and Jonas, Peter M and Ben Simon, Yoav},
  issn         = {2050-084X},
  journal      = {eLife},
  keywords     = {General Immunology and Microbiology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Medicine, General Neuroscience},
  publisher    = {eLife Sciences Publications},
  title        = {{Fast, high-throughput production of improved rabies viral vectors for specific, efficient and versatile transsynaptic retrograde labeling}},
  doi          = {10.7554/elife.79848},
  volume       = {11},
  year         = {2022},
}