Dynamical remodeling of visual circuit architecture

by Wenqi Wu
Doctoral thesis
Date of Examination:2022-06-15
Date of issue:2023-06-14
Advisor:Prof. Dr. Fred Wolf
Referee:Prof. Dr. Fred Wolf
Referee:Prof. Dr. Jörg Enderlein
Persistent Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-9938

 

 

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Abstract

English

Visual cortex, as a model for plasticity, has been studied for many years. It is still controversial, however which mechanisms guide the emergence and development of a hallmark of the cortical functional architecture, orientation preference maps (OPMs). Many people believe that molecular recognition governs the initial map formation and helps build a basic topology structure, but for later stages in development, retinal activity patterns are required to tune the maps for maturation. We use a detailed input-driven model with Hebbian learning mechanism- the Topographica model and examine different conditions and parameter regimes for OPM development and characterize map layouts on long time scales. Our results for the first time provide a comprehensive characterization of the temporal reorganization of orientation maps across all biologically relevant timescales, from the first emergence of orientation selective cells to the final convergence of the entire circuit architecture. Among these conditions pinwheel layouts under conditions explained in the Chapter 12 of this thesis show statistical characteristics mostly closely matching the features of the common design.
Keywords: visual cortex; visual experiences; orientation preference map; the Topographica model
 
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