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Locomotion selectively enhances visual speed encoding in mouse medial higher visual areas
Edward A B Horrocks1, Aman B Saleem1
1Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1V 0AP, UK.
Iscience
|January 15, 2026
Summary
Locomotion selectively enhances visual speed processing in mouse higher visual areas, suggesting specialized roles during movement. Direction encoding, however, was broadly enhanced across the visual cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual System Processing
- Sensory Integration
Background:
- Mammalian visual systems feature specialized brain areas for distinct functions.
- The influence of ongoing behavior on these visual specializations remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how locomotion affects neural encoding of visual motion stimuli in the mouse visual system.
- To determine if functional specializations in visual areas are behavior-dependent.
Main Methods:
- Recorded neural activity from thousands of neurons across six cortical and two thalamic visual areas in mice.
- Presented visual motion stimuli while mice were either stationary or locomoting.
Main Results:
- Locomotion selectively enhanced visual speed encoding in medial higher visual cortical areas.
- Direction encoding of drifting gratings was enhanced non-selectively across the visual cortex during locomotion.
Conclusions:
- Medial higher visual areas may specialize in processing visual motion during locomotion.
- Sensory processing efficacy in higher visual areas is shaped by the interplay between sensory input and ongoing behavior, supporting context-dependent roles.
Keywords:
Health sciences
