Great science and great fun hosting @mattsmear, shown here buying a qdot ticket @ConvergenceStn.

Overall, our data support a functional role for long-range inhibitory SC neurons in mediating spatial choice. TBD is whether these neurons target intra-, inter-, or extra-SC loci.

Finally, we developed an attractor model to explore whether intrinsic SC circuits could produce our results. (The answer is 'yes' when inter-SC inhibitory neurons have stronger connections with the opposite SC than intra-SC inhibitory neurons have with local neurons).

We next 'optotagged' inhibitory SC neurons to examine their endogenous activity during choice-- most neurons preferred contralateral choice.

In fact, optogenetic activation of inhibitory SC neurons during choice promoted contralateral choice in 7 out of 11 mice tested and never promoted ipsilateral choice.

We predicted that activation of inhibitory SC neurons during left v. right choice would result in either an ipsilateral or contralateral choice bias.

Recently published in Communications Biology, we addressed whether inhibitory superior colliculus (SC) neurons mediate spatial choice via local or long-range interactions. rdcu.be/cml1h