Development and Function of Brain Maps in the Visual System

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In this research the principal investigator with collaborators will study theories of the formation and function of a class of brain structures called brain maps found in the cortex of higher animals. Brain maps are common in the brains of higher animals and are involved in various computational tasks such as processing sensory information, and generating motor commands, and are probably also used in the performance of high-level functions related to memory and language. The investigator's study will focus on brain maps in primary visual areas, with emphasis on the retinotopic map, and on the orientation and ocular dominance column substructure of this map. Specifically the investigator will investigate the relations between the local map structure, intra-cortical connectivity schemes, and the response properties of single cells. The comparative aspects of this study will be performed on a massively parallel computer. This is a timely and important topic, the research is multidisciplinary in approach, and the state of the field makes this research appropriate for the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program.