Visual Selectivity Research Articles

Visual selectivity and top-down modulation of neurons in monkey V2 during free viewing

Visual selectivity and top-down modulation of neurons in monkey V2 during free viewing

PMv Neuronal Firing May Be Driven by a Movement Command Trajectory within Multidimensional Gaussian Fields.

The premotor cortex (PM) is known to be a site of visuo-somatosensory integration for the production of movement. We sought to better understand the ventral PM (PMv) by modeling its signal encoding in greater detail. Neuronal firing data was obtained from 110 PMv neurons in two male rhesus macaques executing four reach-grasp-manipulate tasks. We found that in the large majority of neurons (∼90%) the firing patterns across the four tasks could be explained by assuming that a high-dimensional position/configuration trajectory-like signal evolving ∼250 ms before movement was encoded within a multidimensional Gaussian field (MGF). Our findings are consistent with the possibility that PMv neurons process a visually specified reference command for the intended arm/hand position trajectory with respect to a proprioceptively or visually sensed initial configuration. The estimated MGF were (hyper) disc-like, such that each neuron's firing modulated strongly only with commands that evolved along a single direction within position/configuration space. Thus, many neurons appeared to be tuned to slices of this input signal space that as a collection appeared to well cover the space. The MGF encoding models appear to be consistent with the arm-referent, bell-shaped, visual target tuning curves and target selectivity patterns observed in PMV visual-motor neurons. These findings suggest that PMv may implement a lookup table-like mechanism that helps translate intended movement trajectory into time-varying patterns of activation in motor cortex and spinal cord. MGFs provide an improved nonlinear framework for potentially decoding visually specified, intended multijoint arm/hand trajectories well in advance of movement.

Ignition's glow: Ultra-fast spread of global cortical activity accompanying local "ignitions" in visual cortex during conscious visual perception.

Despite extensive research, the spatiotemporal span of neuronal activations associated with the emergence of a conscious percept is still debated. The debate can be formulated in the context of local vs. global models, emphasizing local activity in visual cortex vs. a global fronto-parietal "workspace" as the key mechanisms of conscious visual perception. These alternative models lead to differential predictions with regard to the precise magnitude, timing and anatomical spread of neuronal activity during conscious perception. Here we aimed to test a specific aspect of these predictions in which local and global models appear to differ - namely the extent to which fronto-parietal regions modulate their activity during task performance under similar perceptual states. So far the main experimental results relevant to this debate have been obtained from non-invasive methods and led to conflicting interpretations. Here we examined these alternative predictions through large-scale intracranial measurements (Electrocorticogram - ECoG) in 43 patients and 4445 recording sites. Both ERP and broadband high frequency (50-150 Hz - BHF) responses were examined through the entire cortex during a simple 1-back visual recognition memory task. Our results reveal short latency intense visual responses, localized first in early visual cortex followed (at ∼200 ms) by higher order visual areas, but failed to show significant delayed (300 ms) visual activations. By contrast, oddball image repeat events, linked to overt motor responses, were associated with a significant increase in a delayed (300 ms) peak of BHF power in fronto-parietal cortex. Comparing BHF responses with ERP revealed an additional peak in the ERP response - having a similar latency to the well-studied P3 scalp EEG response. Posterior and temporal regions demonstrated robust visual category selectivity. An unexpected observation was that high-order visual cortex responses were essentially concurrent (at ∼200 ms) with an ultra-fast spread of signals of lower magnitude that invaded selected sites throughout fronto-parietal cortical areas. Our results are compatible with local models in demonstrating a clear task-dependence of the 300 ms fronto-parietal activation. However, they also reveal a more global component of low-magnitude and poor content selectivity that rapidly spreads into fronto-parietal sites. The precise functional role of this global "glow" remains to be elucidated.

Radial bias for orientation and direction of motion modulates access to visual awareness during continuous flash suppression.

Two types of radial bias have been demonstrated in the primate visual cortex: for orientation and for direction of motion. Considering that a visual neuron's directional selectivity is generally perpendicular to its preferred orientation, it is counterintuitive that radial biases for orientation and direction of motion coexist in retinotopic cortex including primary visual cortex. The current study measured the influence of radial bias for orientation and direction of motion on the access to visual awareness during continuous flash suppression. Strength of static and moving target stimuli, inferred by time to breakup of suppression, was modulated by the orientation and motion direction of the suppressed target stimulus according to its spatial location, indicating radial biases for both orientation and motion direction. However, orientation dominated over direction of motion when they were perpendicular to each other. These results indicate that, first, orientation-specific neural responses may be stronger than direction-specific neural responses at the stage of visual processing where interocular suppression is resolved. Second, the preferential processing of both orientation and direction of motion may result from anisotropic distribution of orientation- and direction-selective cells. Third, the neural substrate of the radial direction bias may reflect an orientation-specific neural response induced by fast-moving random dot patterns.

視覚経験依存的な大脳皮質視覚野の微小神経回路網の形成

Visual cortical neurons selectively respond to particular features of visual stimuli and response selectivity emerges from specific neuronal connections. Previously, it is demonstrated that multiple fine-scale networks of precisely interconnected layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal neurons are embedded in rat visual cortex. We investigated the effects of early visual experience on the development of individual synaptic connections and fine-scale networks in rat visual cortical slices. We demonstrated that patterned vision is required for the emergence of the fine-scale network, whereas diffuse light stimulation is sufficient for the maturation of individual synapses, suggesting that early visual experience is critical for the normal development of visual cortex.

Surya namaskara training for enhancing selective attention in orphan boys: A randomized control study

Background: Surya namaskara (SN) training is a part of yoga; it consists of a sequence of postures done with breath regulation, relaxation and awareness of energy centers. The selective attention (SA) is a vital function mediated by the right frontal-parietal cortex. The cancellation tests require visual selectivity and a repetitive motor response. The six letter cancellation task (SLCT) is useful to assess functions such as SA, focused attention, visual scanning, and the activation and inhibition of rapid responses. Assessing SA in orphan boys (OB) is a part of the neuropsychological evaluation to know their academic performance (AP). Objective: To assess the effect of SN training on SA in OB using SLCT. Subjects and Methods: Sixty OB with 11.3 ΁ 2 years of mean age were divided randomly, using computerized random number table into two groups ( n = 30 in SN training group and n = 30 in control group). The SLCT data were collected before (pre) and after (post) the SN training and control of 1 month duration. Results: The Shapiro-Wilk Test and Paired Samples Test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16 (IBM Corporation, USA) showed that there was 50.75% increase ( P P Conclusion: The present study suggests that SN training may enhance SA among OB, thus, may prove useful for their AP. Additional well-designed studies are needed before a strong recommendation can be made on the efficacy of SN training for enhancing SA, and thereby improving AP.

A review of the mechanisms by which attentional feedback shapes visual selectivity.

The glut of information available for the brain to process at any given moment necessitates an efficient attentional system that can 'pick and choose' what information receives prioritized processing. A growing body of work, spanning numerous methodologies and species, reveals that one powerful way in which attending to an item separates the wheat from the chaff is by altering a basic response property in the brain: neuronal selectivity. Selectivity is a cornerstone response property, largely dictating our ability to represent and interact with the environment. Although it is likely that selectivity is altered throughout many brain areas, here we focus on how directing attention to an item affects selectivity in the visual system, where this response property is generally more well characterized. First, we review the neural architecture supporting selectivity, and then discuss the various changes that could occur in selectivity for an attended item. In a survey of the literature, spanning neurophysiology, neuroimaging and psychophysics, we reveal that there is general convergence regarding the manner with which selectivity is shaped by attentional feedback. In a nutshell, the literature suggests that the type of changes in selectivity that manifest appears to depend on the type of attention being deployed: whereas directing spatial attention towards an item only alters spatial selectivity, directing feature-based attention can alter the selectivity of attended features.

Cortical processing of object affordances for self and others' action.

The perception of objects does not rely only on visual brain areas, but also involves cortical motor regions. In particular, different parietal and premotor areas host neurons discharging during both object observation and grasping. Most of these cells often show similar visual and motor selectivity for a specific object (or set of objects), suggesting that they might play a crucial role in representing the “potential motor act” afforded by the object. The existence of such a mechanism for the visuomotor transformation of object physical properties in the most appropriate motor plan for interacting with them has been convincingly demonstrated in humans as well. Interestingly, human studies have shown that visually presented objects can automatically trigger the representation of an action provided that they are located within the observer's reaching space (peripersonal space). The “affordance effect” also occurs when the presented object is outside the observer's peripersonal space, but inside the peripersonal space of an observed agent. These findings recently received direct support by single neuron studies in monkey, indicating that space-constrained processing of objects in the ventral premotor cortex might be relevant to represent objects as potential targets for one's own or others' action.

Preschool teacher attachment and attention skills

Attention underlies and energizes all cognitive and behavioral activities. Many studies showed that the quality of child attachment (both to parental and non parental figures) influences cognitive functions and attention. This study aimed to investigate the relationships among attachment to preschool teachers and attention in a sample of preschoolers. In particular, the study analyzed whether child attachment security to preschool teachers influences the different aspects of their attention skills. In addition, gender- and age-related differences in attention and teacher attachment were explored. Research was conducted using two standardized instruments: the Attention and Concentration Battery, and the Attachment Q Sort. Participants were 279 children (147 male, 132 female) who attended two preschools in a town in Southern Italy. Descriptive analyses, t-tests analyses, and correlation and regression analyses were carried out. Findings highlighted several interesting points concerning the relationships that occur among attachment to preschool teachers and attention. Children with secure attachments presented higher reaction time and better auditory, visual, and visual spatial selectivity and maintenance.

Is visual selectivity in older adults modulated by conflict frequency?

Is visual selectivity in older adults modulated by conflict frequency?

Visual selectivity is modulated by conflict frequency within a trial-block

Visual selectivity is modulated by conflict frequency within a trial-block

Response properties of local field potentials and multiunit activity in the mouse visual cortex

Extracellular local field potentials (LFPs) and multiunit activity (MUA) reflect the spatially integrated activity of multiple neurons in a given cortical structure. In the cat and primate visual cortices, these signals exhibit selectivity for visual stimulus features, such as orientation, direction of motion or spatial frequency. In the mouse visual cortex, a model which has been increasingly used in visual neuroscience, the visual stimulus selectivity of population signals has not been examined in detail. We recorded LFPs and MUA using multielectrode arrays and two derived measures, the high-pass filtered continuous MUA and the bipolar first spatial derivative of the LFP, in the visual cortex of isoflurane-anesthetized C57Bl/6 mice. We analyzed the onset latency and characterized the receptive fields in addition to the direction, orientation, and spatial and temporal frequency preferences of these signals. Population signals exhibited onset latencies as short as ∼30ms and possessed receptive fields as large as ∼38° with MUA receptive fields smaller than those of LFPs. All four population signals exhibited similar spatial frequency preferences (∼0.1 cycles per degree) and temporal frequency preferences (∼1 cycle per second). However, for all population signals, spatial and frequency tunings were broad and orientation and direction of motion preferences were absent. The characterization of the visual stimulus selectivity of LFPs and MUA in the mouse visual cortex should provide information regarding their usability in characterizing stimulus properties and disclose possible limitations.

Ventral visual selectivity and adaptation in amnesia.

Ventral visual selectivity and adaptation in amnesia.

Repetitive visual stimulation enhances recovery from severe amblyopia

Severe amblyopia, characterized by a significant reduction in visual acuity through the affected eye, is highly resistant to reversal in adulthood. We have previously shown that synaptic plasticity can be reactivated in the adult rat visual cortex by dark exposure, and the reactivated plasticity can be harnessed to promote the recovery from severe amblyopia. Here we show that deprived-eye visually evoked responses are rapidly strengthened in dark-exposed amblyopes by passive viewing of repetitive visual stimuli. Surprisingly, passive visual stimulation rapidly enhanced visually evoked responses to novel stimuli and enhanced the recovery from severe amblyopia driven by performance of active visual discriminations. Thus a series of simple, noninvasive manipulations of visual experience can be used in combination to significantly guide the recovery of visual response strength, selectivity, and spatial acuity in adult amblyopes.

Block‐wise conflict adaptation of visual selectivity: Role of hemisphere‐dependent and location‐specific mechanisms

AbstractThree experiments investigated views on modulation of visual selectivity that involve hemisphere‐dependence and conflict frequency based views for a whole display. In each experiment, 16 participants completed a flanker task with compatible/incompatible stimulus arrays presented in the left, center, or right visual fields. The relative frequency of the compatible stimulus‐arrays within a trial block was varied as a function of the visual field. In Experiment 1, the relative compatibility frequency in the lateral visual fields was varied (75% / 25%) but not in the center visual field (50%). The results showed that in the lateral visual fields, the performance between the compatible and incompatible trials differed more in conditions with few (vs. many) compatibility trials. Experiments 2 and 3 validated these findings. In Experiment 2, the compatibility frequency varied in the center visual field but not in the lateral fields, resulting in performance effects in all three visual fields. Experiment 3 varied the magnitude of the differences between the compatibility and incompatibility frequencies. Together, the findings showed that participants adjusted to the frequencies of compatible stimuli in all visual fields, indicating conflict adaptation that depends on the relative frequencies of compatible stimuli. The results also suggest that this adaptation is associated with hemisphere‐dependent and location‐specific mechanisms.

Adaptation maintains population homeostasis in primary visual cortex

Sensory systems exhibit mechanisms of neural adaptation, which adjust neuronal activity based on recent stimulus history. In primary visual cortex (V1), in particular, adaptation controls the responsiveness of individual neurons and shifts their visual selectivity. What benefits does adaptation confer to a neuronal population? We measured adaptation in the responses of populations of cat V1 neurons to stimulus ensembles with markedly different statistics of stimulus orientation. We found that adaptation serves two homeostatic goals. First, it maintains equality in the time-averaged responses across the population. Second, it maintains independence in selectivity across the population. Adaptation scales and distorts population activity according to a simple multiplicative rule that depends on neuronal orientation preference and on stimulus orientation. We conclude that adaptation in V1 acts as a mechanism of homeostasis, enforcing a tendency towards equality and independence in neural activity across the population.

Neuromorphic Visual Information Processing –Bio-inspired Vision

 Abstract—This paper describes the early vision of bio-inspired neuromorphic system, mimicking the primitive behaviour of visual cortex. The proposed bio-inspired vision exhibits the biologically plausible function of mimicking the cat's visual cortex experimentation of Hubel and Wiesel. The neuromorphic implementation of vision is inspired by the directional visual signal selectivity of cortex and the CMOS spiking neuron based on Hodgkin-Huxley formalism. The feasibility of neuromorphic early vision is demonstrated for applications of the transportation safety system of passengers' occupancy detection of 95%, based on the recognition of human head figures.

左右呈示視野に依拠した競合頻度が大域・局所情報処理に及ぼす影響

We used a global/local processing task with hierarchically structured visual stimuli to investigate whether each hemisphere independently modulates visual selectivity depending on conflict frequency. In both of the present experiments, a hierarchical pattern consisting of large (global) letter made up of small (local) letters was briefly presented to unilateral visual-field (LVF/RVF) and the congruency between the local and global levels was manipulated. An important manipulation was that the congruency ratio in a given block differed between the two visual-fields (80% and 20%). We required right-handed participants to identify the global (Experiment 1) and local level (Experiment 2) of the hierarchical stimulus. The results showed that when the stimuli were projected to the nondominant hemisphere for the task demand (left hemisphere in the global task and right hemisphere in the local task) the size of the interference (local interference in Experiment 1 and global interference in Experiment 2) was larger in the 80% congruent condition than in the 20% congruent condition, whereas it was invariant when the stimuli were projected to the dominant hemisphere. These results demonstrate that each hemisphere independently works cognitive control.

Stability for block-wise conflict adaptation of visual selectivity

Stability for block-wise conflict adaptation of visual selectivity

Temporal stability of visually selective responses in intracranial field potentials recorded from human occipital and temporal lobes

The cerebral cortex needs to maintain information for long time periods while at the same time being capable of learning and adapting to changes. The degree of stability of physiological signals in the human brain in response to external stimuli over temporal scales spanning hours to days remains unclear. Here, we quantitatively assessed the stability across sessions of visually selective intracranial field potentials (IFPs) elicited by brief flashes of visual stimuli presented to 27 subjects. The interval between sessions ranged from hours to multiple days. We considered electrodes that showed robust visual selectivity to different shapes; these electrodes were typically located in the inferior occipital gyrus, the inferior temporal cortex, and the fusiform gyrus. We found that IFP responses showed a strong degree of stability across sessions. This stability was evident in averaged responses as well as single-trial decoding analyses, at the image exemplar level as well as at the category level, across different parts of visual cortex, and for three different visual recognition tasks. These results establish a quantitative evaluation of the degree of stationarity of visually selective IFP responses within and across sessions and provide a baseline for studies of cortical plasticity and for the development of brain-machine interfaces.