Preference-independent saliency map in the mouse superior colliculus

• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08006-x
• Publication Date: 2025-04-05T03:55:37Z
• Authors: Ruixiang Wu; Jinhuai Xu; Chunpeng Li; Zhaoji Zhang; Shu Lin; Ling-yun Li; Ya-tang Li
• Keywords: Superior colliculus

Detecting salient stimuli in a visual scene is crucial for animal survival, yet how the brain encodes saliency remains unclear. Here, using two-photon calcium imaging, we reveal preference-independent map superficial superior colliculus of awake mice. Salient evoke stronger responses than uniform both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, with similar encoding patterns across cell types. The strongest response occurs when stimulus centered within receptive field, contextual effects extending approximately 40°. Response amplitude scales strength but independent neurons' orientation or motion direction preferences. Notably, saliency-encoding neurons exhibit weak selectivity, indicating complementary relationship between feature maps. Importantly, this does not require cortical inputs. These findings provide insights into neural mechanisms underlying detection.