The neural basis of perceptual coherence

描述(由申请人提供)：我们的目标是了解运动适应的生理和行为效应之间的关系，以及运动一致性现象的神经基础。为了实现这一总体目标，我们提出了三个具体步骤：1)我们将确定短期和长期暴露在视觉运动中是否产生类似的适应效果，以及短适应的效果在不同的实验准备中是否具有可比性。2)MT区的模式或成分选择神经元通过使用三重刺激参与与运动模式的知觉一致性有关的行为选择。3)MT区神经元的适应性在运动连贯性知觉中起作用。此外，我们将评估对格子和格子刺激的适应是否对MT区的模式和成分选择神经元产生不同的影响。与公共卫生相关：大脑疾病--包括失明--通常既是破坏性的，也是难以治愈的。考虑到受影响的器官大脑的巨大复杂性，这并不令人惊讶。因此，为了有希望治愈患病的大脑，我们必须确定健康大脑的工作原理。实现这一目标最有希望的途径是在一个在解剖学、生理学和计算学上已经相对较好地理解的系统中寻找这些原理，例如运动感知的基础系统，特别是MT区。成功识别这些原则可能会为包括失明在内的各种精神和神经疾病开启潜在的治疗方法，并有助于掌握其他认知系统和大脑区域的工作原理，这些认知系统和大脑区域目前知之甚少。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our goal is to understand the relationship between physiological and behavioral effects of motion adaptation as well as the neural basis of motion coherence phenomena. In order to achieve this overarching goal, we propose 3 specific steps: We will establish whether 1) Short term and long term exposure to visual motion produces similar adaptation effects as well as if the effects of short adapters are.comparable in different experimental preparations. 2) Pattern or component selective neurons in area MT are involved in behavioral choices related to the perceptual coherence of moving patterns by using triplaid stimuli. 3) Adaptation of neurons in area MT plays a role in the perception of motion coherence. In addition, we will assess if adaptation to plaid and grating stimuli differentially affects pattern- and component-selective neurons in area MT. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Disorders of the brain - including blindness - are typically as devastating as they are intractable. This is not surprising, given the enormous complexity of the affected organ, the brain. Hence, in order to have any hope to cure the diseased brain, we have to identify the working principles of the healthy brain. The most promising route towards this end is to look for these principles in a system that is already relatively well understood anatomically, physiologically and computationally, such as the system underlying motion perception, in particular area MT. Successfully identifying these principles could unlock potential therapies for a variety of mental and neurological illnesses, including blindness and help to grasp the workings of other cognitive systems and brain areas that are currently poorly understood.