A thalamic hub-and-spoke circuit enables visual perception during action by coordinating visuomotor dynamics

Abstract

Distinguishing between sensory experiences elicited by external stimuli and an animals own actions is critical for accurate perception and motor control. However, the diversity of behaviors and their complex influences on the senses make this distinction challenging. Here, we uncover an action cue hub that coordinates both visual processing in the brains first visual relay and motor commands. We show that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) acts as a corollary discharge (CD) center, integrating visual translational optic flow signals and motor copies from saccades, locomotion, and pupil dynamics. The vLGN relays these signals to correct action-specific visual distortions and refine perception, as shown for the superior colliculus and a depth estimation task. Simultaneously, brain-wide vLGN projections drive corrective actions necessary for accurate visuomotor control. Our results reveal an extended CD architecture that refines early visual transformations and coordinates actions via a distributed hub-and-spoke network enabling visual perception during action.