Sensory cortices modulate innate behaviors through corticofugal projections targeting phylogenetically-old brainstem nuclei. However, the principles behind the functional connectivity of these projections remain poorly understood. Here, we show that in mice visual cortical neurons projecting to the optic-tract and dorsal-terminal nuclei (NOT-DTN) possess distinct response properties and anatomical connectivity, supporting the adaption of an essential innate eye movement, the optokinetic reflex (OKR). We find that these corticofugal neurons are enriched in specific visual areas, and they prefer temporo-nasal visual motion, matching the direction bias of downstream NOT-DTN neurons. Remarkably, continuous OKR stimulation selectively enhances the activity of these temporo-nasally biased cortical neurons, which can efficiently promote OKR plasticity. Lastly, we demonstrate that silencing downstream NOT-DTN neurons, which project specifically to the inferior olive—a key structure in oculomotor plasticity, impairs the cortical modulation of OKR and OKR plasticity. Our results unveil a direction-selective cortico-brainstem pathway that adaptively modulates innate behaviors.

感觉皮层通过针对系统发育古老的脑干核的皮质投射来调节先天行为。然而，这些投影的功能连接背后的原理仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们表明，在小鼠中，投射到视束和背端核（NOT-DTN）的视觉皮层神经元具有独特的反应特性和解剖连接性，支持基本的先天眼球运动，即视动反射（OKR）的适应。我们发现这些离皮质神经元在特定的视觉区域丰富，并且它们更喜欢颞鼻视觉运动，与下游 NOT-DTN 神经元的方向偏差相匹配。值得注意的是，持续的 OKR 刺激选择性地增强了这些偏向颞鼻的皮质神经元的活性，从而可以有效地促进 OKR 可塑性。最后，我们证明沉默下游 NOT-DTN 神经元（该神经元专门投射到下橄榄核（动眼可塑性的关键结构））会损害 OKR 和 OKR 可塑性的皮层调节。我们的结果揭示了一种方向选择性的皮质脑干通路，可以适应性地调节先天行为。