Similar neural and perceptual masking effects of low-power optogenetic stimulation in primate V1
Spencer Chin-Yu Chen,
Giacomo Benvenuti,
Yuzhi Chen,
Satwant Kumar,
Charu Ramakrishnan,
Karl Deisseroth,
Wilson S Geisler,
Eyal Seidemann
Affiliations
Spencer Chin-Yu Chen
Department of Neurosurgery, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, United States; Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Yuzhi Chen
Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Satwant Kumar
Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Charu Ramakrishnan
CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
Karl Deisseroth
CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, United States; Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States; Neurosciences Program, Stanford University, Stanford, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
Wilson S Geisler
Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Neurosciences Program, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Center for Perceptual Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States; Neurosciences Program, University of Texas, Austin, United States
Can direct stimulation of primate V1 substitute for a visual stimulus and mimic its perceptual effect? To address this question, we developed an optical-genetic toolkit to ‘read’ neural population responses using widefield calcium imaging, while simultaneously using optogenetics to ‘write’ neural responses into V1 of behaving macaques. We focused on the phenomenon of visual masking, where detection of a dim target is significantly reduced by a co-localized medium-brightness mask (Cornsweet and Pinsker, 1965; Whittle and Swanston, 1974). Using our toolkit, we tested whether V1 optogenetic stimulation can recapitulate the perceptual masking effect of a visual mask. We find that, similar to a visual mask, low-power optostimulation can significantly reduce visual detection sensitivity, that a sublinear interaction between visual- and optogenetic-evoked V1 responses could account for this perceptual effect, and that these neural and behavioral effects are spatially selective. Our toolkit and results open the door for further exploration of perceptual substitutions by direct stimulation of sensory cortex.
