---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
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abstract:
- lang: eng
text: For accurate perception and motor control, an animal must distinguish between
sensory experiences elicited by external stimuli and those elicited by its own
actions. The diversity of behaviors and their complex influences on the senses
make this distinction challenging. Here, we uncover an action–cue hub that coordinates
motor commands with visual processing in the brain’s first visual relay. We show
that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) acts as a corollary discharge
center, integrating visual translational optic flow signals with motor copies
from saccades, locomotion and pupil dynamics. The vLGN relays these signals to
correct action-specific visual distortions and to refine perception, as shown
for the superior colliculus and in a depth-estimation task. Simultaneously, brain-wide
vLGN projections drive corrective actions necessary for accurate visuomotor control.
Our results reveal an extended corollary discharge architecture that refines early
visual transformations and coordinates actions via a distributed hub-and-spoke
network to enable visual perception during action.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: PreCl
- _id: LifeSc
- _id: Bio
acknowledgement: We thank Y. Ben-Simon for generously making viral vectors for retrograde
tracing available, as well as J. Watson and F. Marr for reagents. We also thank
R. Shigemoto, W. Młynarski and members of the Neuroethology group for their comments
on the manuscript and L. Burnett for her schematic drawings. This research was supported
by the Scientific Service Units of ISTA through resources provided by Scientific
Computing, the Preclinical Facility, the Lab Support Facility and the Imaging and
Optics Facility, in particular F. Lange, M. Schunn and T. Asenov. This work was
supported by European Research Council Starting Grant no. 756502 (M.J.) and European
Research Council Consolidator Grant no. 101086580 (M.J.); and EMBO ALTF grant no.
1098-2017 (A.S.) and Human Frontiers Science Program grant no. LT000256/2018-L (A.S.).
Open access funding provided by Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria).
article_number: '7278'
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Tomas A
full_name: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A
id: 2E7C4E78-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Vega Zuniga
- first_name: Anton L
full_name: Sumser, Anton L
id: 3320A096-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Sumser
orcid: 0000-0002-4792-1881
- first_name: Olga
full_name: Symonova, Olga
id: 3C0C7BC6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Symonova
orcid: 0000-0003-2012-9947
- first_name: Peter
full_name: Koppensteiner, Peter
id: 3B8B25A8-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Koppensteiner
orcid: 0000-0002-3509-1948
- first_name: Florian
full_name: Schmidt, Florian
id: A2EF226A-AF19-11E9-924C-0525E6697425
last_name: Schmidt
- first_name: Maximilian A
full_name: Jösch, Maximilian A
id: 2BD278E6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Jösch
orcid: 0000-0002-3937-1330
citation:
ama: Vega Zuniga TA, Sumser AL, Symonova O, Koppensteiner P, Schmidt F, Jösch MA.
A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action by coordinating
visuomotor dynamics. Nature Neuroscience. 2025;28. doi:10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w
apa: Vega Zuniga, T. A., Sumser, A. L., Symonova, O., Koppensteiner, P., Schmidt,
F., & Jösch, M. A. (2025). A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual
perception during action by coordinating visuomotor dynamics. Nature Neuroscience.
Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w
chicago: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A, Anton L Sumser, Olga Symonova, Peter Koppensteiner,
Florian Schmidt, and Maximilian A Jösch. “A Thalamic Hub-and-Spoke Network Enables
Visual Perception during Action by Coordinating Visuomotor Dynamics.” Nature
Neuroscience. Springer Nature, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w.
ieee: T. A. Vega Zuniga, A. L. Sumser, O. Symonova, P. Koppensteiner, F. Schmidt,
and M. A. Jösch, “A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during
action by coordinating visuomotor dynamics,” Nature Neuroscience, vol.
28. Springer Nature, 2025.
ista: Vega Zuniga TA, Sumser AL, Symonova O, Koppensteiner P, Schmidt F, Jösch MA.
2025. A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action
by coordinating visuomotor dynamics. Nature Neuroscience. 28, 7278.
mla: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A., et al. “A Thalamic Hub-and-Spoke Network Enables Visual
Perception during Action by Coordinating Visuomotor Dynamics.” Nature Neuroscience,
vol. 28, 7278, Springer Nature, 2025, doi:10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w.
short: T.A. Vega Zuniga, A.L. Sumser, O. Symonova, P. Koppensteiner, F. Schmidt,
M.A. Jösch, Nature Neuroscience 28 (2025).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-02-23T23:01:58Z
date_published: 2025-03-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-06-18T18:12:08Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: MaJö
- _id: PreCl
doi: 10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '001416866800001'
pmid:
- '39930095'
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 28'
isi: 1
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
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url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01874-w
month: '03'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 2634E9D2-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '756502'
name: Circuits of Visual Attention
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grant_number: '101086580'
name: 'Action Selection in the Midbrain: Neuromodulation of Visuomotor Senses'
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grant_number: ALTF 1098-2017
name: Connecting sensory with motor processing in the superior colliculus
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grant_number: LT000256
name: Neuronal networks of salience and spatial detection in the murine superior
colliculus
publication: Nature Neuroscience
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1546-1726
issn:
- 1097-6256
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
link:
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relation: press_release
url: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/high-tech-video-optimization-in-our-brain/
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title: A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action by
coordinating visuomotor dynamics
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
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type: journal_article
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...
---
OA_place: publisher
_id: '18579'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: 'Electrophysiological, calcium two-photon recordings and behavioral data for
Vega-Zuniga et al. Relevant information can be found in the ''README.txt'' files. '
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: PreCl
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: Bio
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: Freyja Lange, Michael Schunn, and Todor Asenov
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Tomas A
full_name: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A
id: 2E7C4E78-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Vega Zuniga
- first_name: Anton L
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last_name: Sumser
orcid: 0000-0002-4792-1881
- first_name: Olga
full_name: Symonova, Olga
id: 3C0C7BC6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Symonova
orcid: 0000-0003-2012-9947
- first_name: Peter
full_name: Koppensteiner, Peter
id: 3B8B25A8-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Koppensteiner
orcid: 0000-0002-3509-1948
- first_name: Florian
full_name: Schmidt, Florian
id: A2EF226A-AF19-11E9-924C-0525E6697425
last_name: Schmidt
- first_name: Maximilian A
full_name: Jösch, Maximilian A
id: 2BD278E6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Jösch
orcid: 0000-0002-3937-1330
citation:
ama: Vega Zuniga TA, Sumser AL, Symonova O, Koppensteiner P, Schmidt F, Jösch MA.
A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action by coordinating
visuomotor dynamics. 2024. doi:10.15479/AT:ISTA:18579
apa: Vega Zuniga, T. A., Sumser, A. L., Symonova, O., Koppensteiner, P., Schmidt,
F., & Jösch, M. A. (2024). A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual
perception during action by coordinating visuomotor dynamics. Institute of Science
and Technology Austria. https://doi.org/10.15479/AT:ISTA:18579
chicago: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A, Anton L Sumser, Olga Symonova, Peter Koppensteiner,
Florian Schmidt, and Maximilian A Jösch. “A Thalamic Hub-and-Spoke Network Enables
Visual Perception during Action by Coordinating Visuomotor Dynamics.” Institute
of Science and Technology Austria, 2024. https://doi.org/10.15479/AT:ISTA:18579.
ieee: T. A. Vega Zuniga, A. L. Sumser, O. Symonova, P. Koppensteiner, F. Schmidt,
and M. A. Jösch, “A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during
action by coordinating visuomotor dynamics.” Institute of Science and Technology
Austria, 2024.
ista: Vega Zuniga TA, Sumser AL, Symonova O, Koppensteiner P, Schmidt F, Jösch MA.
2024. A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action
by coordinating visuomotor dynamics, Institute of Science and Technology Austria,
10.15479/AT:ISTA:18579.
mla: Vega Zuniga, Tomas A., et al. A Thalamic Hub-and-Spoke Network Enables Visual
Perception during Action by Coordinating Visuomotor Dynamics. Institute of
Science and Technology Austria, 2024, doi:10.15479/AT:ISTA:18579.
short: T.A. Vega Zuniga, A.L. Sumser, O. Symonova, P. Koppensteiner, F. Schmidt,
M.A. Jösch, (2024).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2024-11-22T13:48:12Z
date_published: 2024-12-09T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-06-18T18:12:08Z
day: '09'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
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project:
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grant_number: ALTF 1098-2017
name: Connecting sensory with motor processing in the superior colliculus
- _id: 266D407A-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
grant_number: LT000256
name: Neuronal networks of salience and spatial detection in the murine superior
colliculus
- _id: 2634E9D2-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '756502'
name: Circuits of Visual Attention
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grant_number: '101086580'
name: 'Action Selection in the Midbrain: Neuromodulation of Visuomotor Senses'
publisher: Institute of Science and Technology Austria
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status: public
title: A thalamic hub-and-spoke network enables visual perception during action by
coordinating visuomotor dynamics
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
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type: research_data
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
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---
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abstract:
- lang: eng
text: "Biological vision is unlike a camera; rather than transmitting light information
faithfully, early\r\nvisual circuits process the visual scene to convey only the
relevant information in an efficient\r\nmanner. Consequentially, the nature of
this visual processing then depends on what is the\r\nrelevant information in
a scene and on the notion of efficiency. In this work, I study how visual\r\nprocessing
is modulated by two different variations in the visual scene. First, I discovered
that\r\nin the mouse (Mus musculus) retina, Retinal Ganglion Cells in the upper
and lower visual\r\nfield have differences in the center surround structure of
their receptive fields. Comparison\r\nwith models of efficient coding show that
this adaptation likely evolved to cope with the\r\nbrightness gradient from the
sky to the ground that is pervasive in natural scenes. In the\r\nsecond project,
I study how the downstream neurons in the Superior Colliculus dynamically\r\nchange
their temporal selectivity depending on the ambient luminance and behavioral state.\r\nAs
the scene gets darker or when the animal is is less aroused, the neuronal responses
get\r\nlaggier, while still maintaining their relative timing with respect to
the population. Overall, this\r\nwork emphasises the need to understand visual
processing in the context of specific demands\r\nof the animal in its the environment.
The adaptive changes in the visual system, from the\r\nretinal ganglion cells
to the superior colliculus, highlight the intricate ways in which biological\r\nvision
optimizes the processing of visual information.\r\n"
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: Bio
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: PreCl
- _id: LifeSc
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: E-Lib
acknowledgement: "This work would have been impossible without the Scientific Service
Units of IST Austria. The resources and expertise provided by Scientific Computing
(especially Alois Schlögl), the MIBA Machine Shop (especially Todor Asenov), the
Preclinical Facility (especially Freyja Langer), the Library, the Lab Support Facility
and the Imaging and Optics Facility were the essential bedrock I could build upon.
I would also like to thank IT support at ISTA for powering through remote work and
a cyberattack.\r\nI am grateful for having been funded initially by the European
Union Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant 665385 and later by Prof. Maximilian
Joesch's the European Research Council Starting (756502) and Consolidator (101086580)
Grants."
alternative_title:
- ISTA Thesis
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Divyansh
full_name: Gupta, Divyansh
id: 2A485EBE-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Gupta
orcid: 0000-0001-7400-6665
citation:
ama: Gupta D. Visual adaptations to natural statistics. 2024. doi:10.15479/at:ista:18574
apa: Gupta, D. (2024). Visual adaptations to natural statistics. Institute
of Science and Technology Austria. https://doi.org/10.15479/at:ista:18574
chicago: Gupta, Divyansh. “Visual Adaptations to Natural Statistics.” Institute
of Science and Technology Austria, 2024. https://doi.org/10.15479/at:ista:18574.
ieee: D. Gupta, “Visual adaptations to natural statistics,” Institute of Science
and Technology Austria, 2024.
ista: Gupta D. 2024. Visual adaptations to natural statistics. Institute of Science
and Technology Austria.
mla: Gupta, Divyansh. Visual Adaptations to Natural Statistics. Institute
of Science and Technology Austria, 2024, doi:10.15479/at:ista:18574.
short: D. Gupta, Visual Adaptations to Natural Statistics, Institute of Science
and Technology Austria, 2024.
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2024-11-20T21:30:44Z
date_published: 2024-11-22T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-07T13:24:48Z
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name: International IST Doctoral Program
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full_name: Jösch, Maximilian A
id: 2BD278E6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Jösch
orcid: 0000-0002-3937-1330
title: Visual adaptations to natural statistics
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short: CC BY-NC-SA (4.0)
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...