NEURAL MECHANISMS OF VISUAL PERCEPTION AND VISUALLY GUIDED ACTION

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 目的：了解视觉知觉和视觉引导行为的神经机制。 具体地说，我们正在研究视觉运动和形状处理的神经机制，包括它们与实验室驯化的行为正常的成年恒河猴之间的相互作用。这项研究的一个重要目的是深入了解视觉系统如何选择性地整合和分割多种视觉特征，以形成对物体的感知和引导眼睛运动。 视觉、运动和形状信息由分布在许多专门大脑区域的大量神经元来表示和处理。这些神经元中的每一个都对视觉图像的某些特征敏感，并对世界有一个空间上受限的“视野”。此外，由于许多视觉神经元广泛地对刺激特征进行调谐，任何给定的视觉特征都表现为大量神经元的放电。目前尚不清楚视觉特征的空间局部化表征是如何合成形成知觉的；也不清楚视觉刺激的属性是如何从分布的神经活动中解码出来的，以做出知觉决定和引导眼睛运动。这些都是视觉研究的基本问题。我们的研究就是针对这些问题展开的。当视觉场景中存在多个视觉特征时，发生视觉处理的特定挑战场景。视觉系统需要有选择地将这些特征整合和分割成不同的对象或表面。然后使用这些对象或表面的表示来指导适当的操作。我们的具体研究目标是阐明这些过程背后的神经机制。从我们的研究中学到的见解将有助于更好地理解正常大脑功能的基本原理，并有望更好地理解视觉障碍的原因和开发新的治疗方法。 这项新的研究使用启动资金，并依赖于WNRPC动物服务。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. OBJECTIVE: To understand the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception and visually guided action. Specifically, we are investigating neural mechanisms of visual motion and form processing including their interactions using behaving, laboratory-acclimatized adult rhesus monkeys. An important aim of the study is to gain insight into how the visual system selectively integrates and segments multiple visual features to form perception of objects and to guide eye movements. Visual motion and form information is represented and processed by a large number of neurons distributed across many specialized brain areas. Each of these neurons is sensitive to certain features of the visual image and has a spatially constrained "view" of the world. Moreover, because many visual neurons are broadly tuned to stimulus features, any given visual feature is represented by the discharge of a large population of neurons. It is not clear how spatially localized representations of visual features are synthesized to form perception; it is also unknown how attributes of visual stimuli are decoded from distributed neural activity to make perceptual decisions and to guide eye movements. These are fundamental questions of vision research. Our study is directed at addressing these questions. A particular challenging scenario of visual processing occurs when multiple visual features are present in the visual scene. Visual system needs to selectively integrate and segment these features into distinct objects or surfaces. Representations of these objects or surfaces are then used to guide appropriate action. Our specific research goal is to clarify the neural mechanisms underlying these processes. Insights learned from our studies will help to gain better understanding of fundamental principles of normal brain functions, with the promise of better understanding the causes and developing new treatment of visual disorders. This new research uses start up funding and relies on WNRPC Animal Services.