The neural basis of visual priming

视觉启动的神经基础

• 批准号: 0345920
• 负责人: Kalanit Grill-Spector
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-04-01 至 2006-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0345920&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: neural; basis; visual; priming

The ability of the human brain to continuously change and update with experience is one of the fundamental properties that distinguishes it from artificially constructed devices. One manifestation of experience-dependent changes in the human brain is visual priming, in which performance on repeated objects is improved compared to performance on new stimuli (responses are both faster and more accurate). Despite the rich knowledge on the behavioral aspects of visual priming, much less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. Recent advances in brain imaging have allowed Dr. Kalanit Grill-Spector to examine the brain changes that occur with stimulus repetition. For example, she and her colleagues have found that repeating object images reduces the brain activity in object-selective areas in the human visual cortex. However, it is counterintuitive why reduced cortical activity would be associated with improved behavioral performance? With NSF funding, the goal of Dr. Grill-Spector's project is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying visual priming and to understand how these mechanisms produce changes in cortical activity in object-selective areas in the human brain. These experiments are designed to distinguish between alternative theories explaining visual priming and to rule out non-specific processes, such as changes in the overall attention level. To do so, Dr. Grill-Spector will combine brain imaging experiments and behavioral measurements. By manipulating repetition parameters, top-down attention and stimulus strength, and measuring the effect of these factors on both behavior and brain activation, she will determine which mechanism is more relevant. The results of this project will be critical for understanding the neural basis of experience-dependent changes in the visual system and will have a large impact on the fields of perceptual learning, implicit memory and visual cognition. These experiments will have an important contribution in understanding the physiological basis of a fundamental and intensively studied cognitive process: visual priming. Elucidating the cognitive and neural bases of visual priming will impact understanding of perceptual learning and plasticity of object representations in high-level visual areas, which in turn will affect a range of fields from clinical aspects of implicit memory to AI models of object recognition. For example, better understanding of the neural basis of perceptual learning or skill learning will facilitate better rehabilitation programs for patients who experienced strokes or other localized brain damage to sensory cortical areas. Furthermore, the proposed work will provide substantial novel insights into the neural processes associated with visual memory, which has important implications for the acquisition of novel object recognition skills. This type of skill is an important aspect of many forms of scientific and medical training (e.g., understanding radiological photos or learning to visually distinguish between chromosomes). In sum, by providing a greater understanding of neural plasticity, this work will inform our understanding of experience-dependent changes in the visual system as well as a wide range of learning and memory phenomena.

人类大脑随着经验不断变化和更新的能力是区别于人工构造设备的基本属性之一。人类大脑中经验依赖性变化的一个表现是视觉启动，其中对重复物体的表现与对新刺激的表现相比有所改善（反应更快，更准确）。尽管对视觉启动的行为方面的知识丰富，但对潜在的神经机制知之甚少。大脑成像的最新进展使Kalanit Grill-Spector博士能够检查刺激重复时发生的大脑变化。例如，她和她的同事发现，重复物体图像会减少人类视觉皮层中物体选择区域的大脑活动。然而，为什么减少皮层活动会与改善行为表现有关，这是违反直觉的？在NSF的资助下，Grill-Spector博士的项目的目标是了解视觉启动背后的神经机制，并了解这些机制如何在人类大脑的对象选择区域中产生皮质活动的变化。这些实验旨在区分解释视觉启动的其他理论，并排除非特定过程，如整体注意力水平的变化。为此，Grill-Spector博士将联合收割机结合脑成像实验和行为测量。通过操纵重复参数、自上而下的注意力和刺激强度，并测量这些因素对行为和大脑激活的影响，她将确定哪种机制更相关。该项目的结果对于理解视觉系统中经验依赖性变化的神经基础至关重要，并将对感知学习，内隐记忆和视觉认知领域产生重大影响。这些实验将有一个重要的贡献，在了解一个基本的和深入研究的认知过程的生理基础：视觉启动。阐明视觉启动的认知和神经基础将影响对知觉学习的理解和高级视觉区域中物体表征的可塑性，这反过来又会影响从内隐记忆的临床方面到物体识别的AI模型的一系列领域。例如，更好地理解知觉学习或技能学习的神经基础将有助于为经历中风或感觉皮层区域的其他局部脑损伤的患者提供更好的康复计划。此外，拟议的工作将提供大量的新的见解与视觉记忆，这对新的物体识别技能的收购具有重要意义的神经过程。 这种类型的技能是许多形式的科学和医学培训的一个重要方面（例如，理解放射照片或学习在视觉上区分染色体）。 总之，通过提供对神经可塑性的更好理解，这项工作将为我们理解视觉系统中依赖经验的变化以及广泛的学习和记忆现象提供信息。