An arbitrary-spectrum spatial visual stimulator for vision research
- University of Tübingen, Germany
- University of Sussex, United Kingdom
Abstract
Visual neuroscientists require accurate control of visual stimulation. However, few stimulator solutions simultaneously offer high spatio-temporal resolution and free control over the spectra of the light sources, because they rely on off-the-shelf technology developed for human trichromatic vision. Importantly, consumer displays fail to drive UV-shifted short wavelength-sensitive photoreceptors, which strongly contribute to visual behaviour in many animals, including mice, zebrafish and fruit flies. Moreover, many non-mammalian species feature more than three spectral photoreceptor types. Here, we present a flexible, spatial visual stimulator with up to 6 arbitrary spectrum chromatic channels. It combines a standard digital light processing engine with open source hard- and software that can be easily adapted to the experimentalist's needs. We demonstrate the capability of this general visual stimulator experimentally in the in vitro mouse retinal whole-mount and the in vivo zebrafish. With this work, we intend to start a community effort of sharing and developing a common stimulator design for vision research.
Data availability
Part lists are provided in Tables 1-3 and Suppl. Table S1. Software scripts for stimulus calibration as well as design files for circuit boards and 3D-printed parts are provided at https://github.com/eulerlab/open-visual-stimulator. The visual stimulation software is provided at https://github.com/eulerlab/QDSpy.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (FKZ: 01GQ1002)
- Katrin Franke
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (M.FE.A.KYBE0004)
- Katrin Franke
European Commission (ERC-StG 'NeuroVisEco' 677687)
- Tom Baden
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 674901)
- Tom Baden
- Thomas Euler
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/R014817/1)
- Tom Baden
Leverhulme Trust (PLP-2017-005)
- Tom Baden
Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
- Tom Baden
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Projektnummer 276693517 - SFB 1233)
- Thomas Euler
Medical Research Council (MC_PC_15071)
- Tom Baden
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Alexander Borst, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Germany
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All animal procedures adhered to the laws governing animal experimentation issued by the GermanGovernment (mouse) or all procedures were performed in accordance with the UK Animals (ScientificProcedures) act 1986 and approved by the animal welfare committee of the University of Sussex(zebrafish larvae).
Version history
- Received: May 24, 2019
- Accepted: September 20, 2019
- Accepted Manuscript published: September 23, 2019 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: October 8, 2019 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2019, Franke et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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An arbitrary-spectrum spatial visual stimulator for vision research
eLife 8:e48779.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.48779
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In patients suffering absence epilepsy, recurring seizures can significantly decrease their quality of life and lead to yet untreatable comorbidities. Absence seizures are characterized by spike-and-wave discharges on the electroencephalogram associated with a transient alteration of consciousness. However, it is still unknown how the brain responds to external stimuli during and outside of seizures. This study aimed to investigate responsiveness to visual and somatosensory stimulation in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), a well-established rat model for absence epilepsy. Animals were imaged under non-curarized awake state using a quiet, zero echo time, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sequence. Sensory stimulations were applied during interictal and ictal periods. Whole-brain hemodynamic responses were compared between these two states. Additionally, a mean-field simulation model was used to explain the changes of neural responsiveness to visual stimulation between states. During a seizure, whole-brain responses to both sensory stimulations were suppressed and spatially hindered. In the cortex, hemodynamic responses were negatively polarized during seizures, despite the application of a stimulus. The mean-field simulation revealed restricted propagation of activity due to stimulation and agreed well with fMRI findings. Results suggest that sensory processing is hindered or even suppressed by the occurrence of an absence seizure, potentially contributing to decreased responsiveness during this absence epileptic process.
