The Role of Excitatory Parvalbumin-positive Neurons in the Tectofugal Pathway of Pigeon (Columba livia) Hierarchical Visual Processing

TL;DR

This study uncovers the role of excitatory PV+ neurons in pigeons' hierarchical visual processing, demonstrating their importance in rapid motion detection and revealing similarities with mammalian visual systems.

Contribution

It identifies the functional role of excitatory PV+ neurons in the pigeon Ento-MVL circuit and validates their dynamics using a neural network model, highlighting convergent processing strategies.

Findings

PV+ neurons modulate MVL responses to visual stimuli

PV+ neurons enable rapid motion processing in pigeons

Model replicates neural adaptation to moving targets

Abstract

The visual systems of birds and mammals exhibit remarkable organizational similarities: the dorsal ventricular ridge (DVR) demonstrates a columnar microcircuitry that parallels the cortical architecture observed in mammals. However, the specific neuronal subtypes involved and their functional roles in pigeon hierarchical visual processing remain unclear. This study investigates the role of excitatory parvalbumin (PV+) neurons within the Ento-MVL (entoallium-mesopallium venterolaterale) circuit of pigeons underlying hierarchical moving target recognition. Electrophysiological recordings and immunofluorescence staining reveal that excitatory PV+ neurons originating from the entopallial internal (Ei) predominantly modulate MVL responses to varying visual stimuli. Using a heterochronous-speed recurrent neural network (HS-RNN) model, we further validated these dynamics, replicating the rapid adaptation of the Ento-MVL circuit to moving visual targets. The findings suggest that the fast-spiking and excitatory properties of PV+ neurons enable rapid processing of motion-related information within the Ento-MVL circuit. Our results elucidate the functional role of excitatory PV+ neurons in hierarchical information processing under the columnar organization of the visual DVR and underscore the convergent neural processing strategies shared by avian and mammalian visual systems.