Exploring Depth Estimation from Motion Parallax in a Mouse Model
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Date
2020
Authors
Beatie, Natalie Therese
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Our eye is not just a camera providing an image of the world around us, but rather a tool that the visual system uses to navigate our environment. One visual ability that separates human vision from cameras is depth perception. Depth perception not only allows us to see three-dimensional images, but it also allows us to properly and productively interact with our environment. One way in which depth is perceived is through motion parallax. Motion parallax is a visual computation that amalgamates both self-motion from the observer and retinal image displacement to determine the distance to objects in the environment. Our larger goal is to determine what neural mechanisms are responsible for this process. To facilitate investigating these neural mechanisms, we adapted a rat/gerbil depth sensation task to mice. In this task, animals must jump from one platform, over a variable gap distance, to another platform in order to receive a reward. To encourage the use of motion parallax and prevent the use of retinal image size as a cue, we varied the landing platform size. Furthermore, to test the role of binocular vision, we sutured one eye closed. From our results, we have determined that animals can learn to estimate distance and accurately jump from the take-off platform to the landing platform, animals perform specific head movements before initiating a jump, and these head movements are modulated based on the object distance. Establishing this task will allow us to perform further experiments to determine how the visual cortex integrates various sensory signals, enabling us to interact with our environment.
Description
32 pages
Keywords
Visual Neuroscience, Human Physiology, Neuroscience, Vision, Motion Parallax, Depth Perception, Mouse