Influence of attention and eye movement signals on population coding in area V4

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的总体目标是了解视觉皮层中的神经元群体如何整合由突触输入提供的各种类型的信息，包括眼动信号和注意力调节。从历史上看，我们对视觉系统的大部分理解都是由单个视觉区域中单个神经元的细胞外记录形成的。拟议的实验将采用长期植入100个电极阵列在猕猴视觉区V4与刺激和记录从单电极在额眼场（FEF）。V4区是探索整合问题的理想选择，因为它在视觉层次中的位置。它接收来自早期视觉皮层以及更高级别区域的输入，包括FEF。我们将开始测量总体内的相关性结构 的V4神经元，以确定它如何不同于已知的结构， 初级视觉皮层的相关性。一旦完成，我们将同时记录FEF和V4，以确定这些区域之间连接的神经元类型，并测试FEF到V4通路在注意力调节中发挥作用的假设。最后，我们将在FEF中刺激并记录V4中的神经元群体。我们期望FEF输入将用于同步V4神经元组，使它们能够向下游皮层区域提供更有效的输入。这些实验将提供关键的洞察力，以了解视觉皮层如何利用眼球运动和注意力调节的信息整合到小的空间区域，以产生行为相关的输出。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this project is to understand how populations of neurons in visual cortex integrate diverse types of information provided by synaptic inputs, including eye movement signals and attentional modulation. Historically, much of our understanding of the visual system has been shaped by extracellular recordings from individual neurons in a single visual area. The proposed experiments will employ chronically implanted 100-electrode arrays in macaque visual area V4 in conjunction with stimulation and recording from single electrodes in the frontal eye fields (FEF). Area V4 is an ideal choice to explore questions of integration because of its place in the visual hierarchy. It receives input from early visual cortex as well as higher level regions, including FEF. We will begin by measuring the correlation structure within a population of V4 neurons during visual stimulation in order to determine how it differs from the known structure of correlation in primary visual cortex. Once this is complete, we will record simultaneously in FEF and V4 to determine the types of neurons that are connected between these areas, and test the hypothesis that the FEF to V4 pathway plays a role in attentional modulation. Finally, we will stimulate in FEF and record populations of neurons in V4. We expect that FEF input will serve to synchronize groups of V4 neurons, enabling them to provide a more effective input to downstream cortical areas. These experiments will provide crucial insight into how the visual cortex integrates over small regions of space using information about eye movements and attentional modulation to produce behaviorally relevant output.