Project Reference: TRG27-PDN-RB1

Project title: Neural pathways for vision-based spatial navigation

Project outline

A critical requirement for survival is the ability to navigate in the environment. This skill is believed to rely on internal spatial representations of the surroundings, such as the “spatial maps” found in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex. Sensory inputs are fundamental for shaping these internal spatial representations. In particular, visual cues are considered essential factors that guide navigation. However, how visual input is converted into spatial maps is still poorly understood. Mammals have two coexisting brain structures that process visual information: the ancient “superior colliculus” and the phylogenetically newer “visual cortex”. This PhD project aims to determine the roles played by these parallel visual systems in spatial navigation. We have recently discovered that the superior colliculus has a dedicated space in the visual cortex: the postrhinal area (POR) (1,2). POR, whose responses rely on collicular activity and are critically involved in spatial navigation (3), is perfectly placed at the interface between the cortical and collicular visual streams and the hippocampal formation. By combining electrophysiological, opto/chemogenetic approaches, and eye-tracking in freely moving animals (4), we will study the interactions between ancient and modern visual pathways in sensory processing and spatial navigation.

  1. Beltramo R. & Scanziani M., A collicular visual cortex: Neocortical space for an ancient midbrain visual structure. Science, 2019.
  2. Beltramo R., A new primary visual cortex.Science, 2020.
  3. Brenner J.*, Beltramo R.*, Gerfen C.R., Ruediger S., Scanziani M., A genetically defined tecto- thalamic pathway drives a system of superior-colliculus-dependent visual cortices. Neuron, 2023 
  4. Kim J., Beltramo R., Poort J., Contributions of superior colliculus and primary visual cortex to visual spatial detection in freely moving mice. Current Biology, 2026.

Principal Supervisor

Dr Riccardo Beltramo

Email address: rb973@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Physiology, Development and Neuroscience (PDN)

Website: https://www.beltramolab.org/

BBSRC strategic theme

Understanding the rules of life