A tectal reservoir implements adaptive visuomotor transformation via serotonergically coordinated push-pull-like mechanisms

Abstract

Adaptive visuomotor transformation requires sensorimotor circuits to generate accurate, robust, and flexible outputs, but its underlying cellular mechanism remains poorly understood. Leveraging a zebrafish mesoscopic connectome, we built a biologically constrained spiking neural network of the optic tectum (OT), a conserved vertebrate center for visuomotor transformation, and drove the model with real retinal inputs. Integrating in silico and biological interrogations, we revealed that the OT functions as a biologically structured reservoir complemented by serotonergic systems to implement adaptive visuomotor transformation. Within the tectal reservoir, inhibitory interneurons with layer-matched axonal arborizations suppress task-unrelated pathways to ensure visuomotor accuracy, while excitatory interneurons with deep-layer terminating axons reinforce task-related pathways to enhance noise robustness. Furthermore, visually responsive OT-projecting serotonergic subsystems reweight competing pathways to confer visuomotor flexibility. Thus, our findings delineate how specific interneuron-type-embodied push-pull-like mechanisms coordinate with serotonergic neuromodulation to drive adaptive visuomotor transformation, offering a mechanistic framework for neural computational architectures.