Plasticity of visual circuits

The rain of photons that hits the retina is not simply represented pixel-by-pixel but immediately processed to detect important events, such as the presence of food or the approach of a predator. The way this information is detected by the brain is continuously adjusted to account for different conditions, such as the daily light-dark cycle. How does this happen? We we will use advanced microscopes to watch the activity of neurons in a transparent animal - larval of zebrafish - as they respond to visual stimuli. We will then alter the activity of different types of neuron to understand how they affect the flow of signals. This will help us understand how neurons in the eye and brain process the signals that are initiated by photons and how these circuits are adjusted when, for instance, the animal smells food or the sun sets.