Moving objects attract greater attention – a fact exploited
by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the
Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major role in the
processing of sensory impressions in the brain, as they often signal the
presence of a welcome prey or an imminent threat. This is also true of the
zebrafish larva, which has to react to the movements of its prey. Scientists at
the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg have investigated
how the brain uses the information from the visual system for the execution of
quicker movements. The animals' visual system records the movements of the prey
so that the brain can redirect the animals’ movements through targeted swim
bouts in a matter of milliseconds. Two hitherto unknown types of neurons in the
mid-brain are involved in the processing of movement stimuli.