Neural Codes Underlying Visual Segmentation

视觉分割背后的神经代码

• 批准号: 8632581
• 负责人: Xin Huang
• 金额: $ 37.86万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8632581
• 关键词: Address; Attention; Behavior; Behavioral; Biological Neural Networks; Brain; Cerebral cortex; Code; Cues; Dyslexia; Environment; Epilepsy; Eye Movements; Goals; Image; Individual; Knowledge; Light; Methods; Modality; Modeling; Monkeys; Motion; Motion Perception; Neurons; Pattern; Perception; Physiological; Population; Primates; Problem Solving; Property; Research; Role; Scheme; Schizophrenia; Sensory; Sensory Process; Solutions; Speed; Stimulus; Surface; Temporal Lobe; Testing; Time; Vision; Vision Disorders; Vision Disparity; Visual; Visual Agnosias; Visual Cortex; Visual Motion; Visual system structure; base; disorder prevention; imaging Segmentation; improved; insight; nervous system disorder; neural circuit; neuromechanism; neurophysiology; operation; perceptual organization; preference; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; research study; response; selective attention; visual process; visual processing; visual stimulus

Project Summary Natural scenes often contain multiple entities. The ability to segregate visual scenes into distinct objects and surfaces, referred to as segmentation, is a fundamental function of vision. Segmentation is crucial for interpreting visual images and for generating the perception of our environment. However, the neural mechanisms underlying image segmentation are not well understood. Our long-term goal is to understand the neural basis underlying perceptual organization and ultimately how perception arises from activity in neuronal network. Among sub-modalities of vision, visual motion provides a potent cue for segmentation. The proposed research uses visual motion to investigate how multiple stimuli are represented by neurons in the visual cortex such that the segmentation and perception of multiple stimuli can be achieved. To isolate the effects of visual motion cues from those of spatial cues on image segmentation, we will use random-dot patterns that move in the same region of visual space in different directions. Previous studies have shown that the responses of cortical neurons elicited by multiple, perceptually separable, stimuli tend to follow the average of the responses elicited by the constituent stimuli presented alone. Such a scheme, however, poses a challenge in segmenting two stimuli that differ only slightly, because averaging essentially takes away the information regarding the identities of individual stimulus components. The central problem to be addressed by the proposed research is how the segmentation of slightly different, but perceptually distinguishable, stimuli is achieved by the visual system. We will combine the methods of neurophysiology, behavior and computation to achieve our goals. The proposal has two specific aims. In Aim #1, we will determine how multiple moving stimuli are represented by populations of neurons in the visual cortex and the temporal dynamics of such neural representation, while the visual system solves the problem of segmenting overlapping stimuli moving in different directions. In Aim #2, we will elucidate how visual depth and speed cues, and selective attention modulate the neural representation of multiple stimuli moving in different directions. The proposed research will provide insight into fundamental neural operations of cortical network in processing sensory information and will expand our knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying perceptual organization. Insights gained from studying normal visual functions promise to improve our understanding of the cause, treatment and prevention of disorders of vision and eye movements.

项目摘要 自然场景通常包含多个实体。将视觉场景隔离为不同对象的能力 表面（称为分割）是视力的基本功能。细分对于 解释视觉图像并产生对环境的感知。但是，神经 图像分割的基础机制尚不清楚。我们的长期目标是了解 神经基础的感知组织以及最终的感知是如何由神经元中的活动产生的 网络。在视觉的亚模式中，视觉运动为分割提供了有效的提示。提议 研究使用视觉运动来研究视觉皮层中神经元的多种刺激 这样可以实现多种刺激的分割和感知。隔离视觉的影响 来自图像分割的空间提示的运动提示，我们将使用移动的随机点模式 在不同方向上的同一视觉空间区域。先前的研究表明， 由多个，可感知可分离的刺激引起的皮质神经元倾向于遵循反应的平均值 由单独提出的成分刺激引起。但是，这样的方案在细分方面构成了挑战 两个仅略有不同的刺激，因为平均基本上消除了有关 单个刺激成分的身份。拟议的研究要解决的核心问题是 如何通过视觉来实现略有不同但可区分的刺激的分割 系统。我们将结合神经生理学，行为和计算的方法，以实现我们的目标。这 提案有两个具体的目标。在AIM＃1中，我们将确定如何由多个移动刺激代表 视觉皮层中神经元的种群和这种神经表示的时间动力学，而 视觉系统解决了分割重叠刺激向不同方向移动的问题。在AIM＃2中 我们将阐明视觉深度和速度提示以及选择性注意力调节神经表示 多个刺激向不同方向移动。拟议的研究将提供有关基本的洞察力 皮质网络在处理感官信息中的神经操作，并将扩大我们对 感知组织的神经机制。从研究正常视觉功能中获得的见解 希望提高我们对视力和眼睛疾病的原因，治疗和预防的理解 动作。