Abstract

A fundamental goal in vision science is to determine how many neurons in how many areas are required to compute a coherent interpretation of the visual scene. Here I propose six principles of cortical dynamics of visual processing in the first 150 ms following the appearance of a visual stimulus. Fast synaptic communication between neurons depends on the driving neurons and the biophysical history and driving forces of the target neurons. Under these constraints, the retina communicates changes in the field of view driving large populations of neurons in visual areas into a dynamic sequence of feed-forward communication and integration of the inward current of the change signal into the dendrites of higher order area neurons (30–70 ms). Simultaneously an even larger number of neurons within each area receiving feed-forward input are pre-excited to sub-threshold levels. The higher order area neurons communicate the results of their computations as feedback adding inward current to the excited and pre-excited neurons in lower areas. This feedback reconciles computational differences between higher and lower areas (75–120 ms). This brings the lower area neurons into a new dynamic regime characterized by reduced driving forces and sparse firing reflecting the visual areas interpretation of the current scene (140 ms). The population membrane potentials and net-inward/outward currents and firing are well behaved at the mesoscopic scale, such that the decoding in retinotopic cortical space shows the visual areas’ interpretation of the current scene. These dynamics have plausible biophysical explanations. The principles are theoretical, predictive, supported by recent experiments and easily lend themselves to experimental tests or computational modeling.

Highlights

  • A fundamental goal in vision science is to determine how many neurons in how many areas are required to compute a coherent interpretation of the visual scene

  • Even if one assumes that the binding problem has found its solution, there are other major unresolved issues with multiple areas engaged in perception, such as delays

  • When an object appears in the visual field of view, it is mapped with different latencies in the six layers of cortex (Maunsell and Gibson, 1992)

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Summary

Introduction

A fundamental goal in vision science is to determine how many neurons in how many areas are required to compute a coherent interpretation of the visual scene. The neurons located at the retinotopic cortical site corresponding to the retinal change compute a similar ON response, a sharp increase in r(t) and a sharp net increase in the inward current (excitation) (Figure 5B).

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