Alessandra Angelucci

RESEARCH:

Structure and function of the visual cerebral cortex

My research focuses on identifying neuronal circuits that underlie the functional properties of neurons in the visual cerebral cortex and visual perception. The laboratory uses optical imaging to record the activity of neuronal populations combined with electrophysiological recordings of the response properties of single neurons and tract tracing techniques to label neuronal circuits. These methods allow us to map the anatomical structure onto the underlying functional architecture of the visual cortex and, thus, to understand how specific cortical circuits are functionally organized. In collaboration with the group of Prof. Paul Bressloff (Dept. Mathematics, University of Utah) we also generate anatomically and physiologically-based neural network models of visual cortex.

Research in the lab is currently directed towards understanding: 1) the circuits and mechanisms underlying contextual influences in visual information processing and perception; 2) the degree of segregation and/or cross-talk between parallel channels in the visual cortex specialized in processing specific visual attributes (e.g. color, form, motion, etc); 3) Anatomical and functional characterization of primate area V3. 4) The functional organization and role of top-down feedback pathways in the visual cortex.

Selected Publications:

Federer, F., Ichida, J.M., Jeffs, J., Schiessl, I., McLoughlin, N., and Angelucci, A. (2009) Four projection streams from V1 to the cytochrome oxidase stripes of V2. Journal of Neuroscience, in press.

Shushruth, Ichida, J.M., Levitt, J.B., and Angelucci, A. (2009) Comparison of spatial summation properties of neurons in V1 and V2. Journal of Neurophysiology, doi:10.1152/jn.00512.

Jeffs J., Ichida J.M., Federer F., and Angelucci A. (2009) Anatomical evidence for classical and extra-classical receptive field completion across the discontinuous horizontal meridian representation of area V2. Cerebral Cortex, 19:963-981.

Shushruth, Ichida, J.M., and Angelucci, A. (2008) Orientation tuning of facilitatory and suppressive signals from the "far" surround of primary visual cortex neurons. Computational and Systems Neuroscience Abstr. Online, 184.

Federer, F., Ichida, J.M., Jeffs, J., and Angelucci, A. (2007) Three separate streams of anatomical projections from primary visual cortex to the cytochrome oxidase stripes of area V2. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Online 122.3.

Ichida, J.M., Schwabe, L., Bressloff, P.C., and Angelucci, A. (2007) Response facilitation from the "suppressive" receptive field surround of V1 neurons. J. Neurophysiol., 98:2168-2181.

Angelucci, A., and Bressloff, P.C. (2006) Contribution of feedforward, lateral and feedback connections to the classical receptive field and extra-classical receptive field surround of V1 neurons. Prog. Brain Res., 154:93-121.

Schwabe, L., Obermayer, K., Angelucci, A.,* and Bressloff, P.C.* (2006) The role of feedback in shaping the extra-classical receptive field of cortical neurons: a recurrent network model. J. Neurosci., 26:9117-9129. * - equal contribution.

Angelucci, A., and Sainsbury, K. (2006) Contribution of feedforward thalamic afferents and corticogeniculate feedback to the spatial summation area of V1 and LGN. J. Comp. Neurol., 498:330-351.

Lund, J.S., Angelucci, A., and Bressloff, P. (2003) Anatomical substrates for functional columns in primary visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex, 12:15-24.

Angelucci, A., Levitt, J.B., Walton, E., Hupé, J.-M., Bullier, J., and Lund, J.S. (2002) Circuits for local and global signal integration in primary visual cortex. J. Neurosci., 22:8633-8646.

Sharma, J., Angelucci, A., and Sur, M. (2000) Induction of visual modules in auditory cortex. Nature, 404:841-847.

Angelucci, A., Clascá, F., and Sur, M. (1997) Anterograde axonal tracing with the subunit B of cholera toxin: a highly sensitive immunohistochemical protocol for revealing fine axonal morphology in adult and neonatal brains. J. Neurosci. Methods, 65:101-112.