Neural mechanisms that limit the visual sensitivity of primates

限制灵长类动物视觉敏感性的神经机制

• 批准号: nhmrc : 457337
• 负责人: Dr Samuel Solomon
• 金额: $ 25.3万
• 依托单位: The University of Sydney
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: NHMRC Project Grants
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2009-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://researchdata.edu.au/neural-mechanisms-limit-sensitivity-primates/98303
• 关键词: Neural; mechanisms; limit; visual; sensitivity

This project concerns the way nerve cells in the brain enable the detection and perception of objects in the visual world. It is thought that nerve cells early in the visual pathway signal the presence or absence of light in a small part of the visual field, but the nature of the neuronal code carried by these pathways remains poorly understood. The aim of our project is to address this basic question, in experimental studies of the intact primate visual system. We will conduct two sets of experiments. Firstly, we will test the hypothesis that nerve cells in the early visual system are sensitive to only a small part of the visual field. We will determine whether the signals of pre-cortical nerve cells are dependant on spatial context. Secondly we wll study the signals of several nerve cells simultaneously using multiple electrodes. We will determine if the signals of many nerve cells are required to detect small visual stimuli like those used in perimetry. These experiments address basic questions, but have application to human vision and visual dysfunction. Good acuity is essential for everyday tasks such as reading, and defects in visual sensitivity are used for early detection of neurological dysfunction in diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Understanding the properties of neurons which underlie visual perception can thus help us to understand normal visual performance, and how this changes in partial sight. This can help develop better methods for detection and treatments for such disorders.

该项目关注大脑中的神经细胞如何检测和感知视觉世界中的物体。人们认为，视觉通路早期的神经细胞发出信号，指示视野一小部分中是否有光，但这些通路所携带的神经元代码的性质仍然知之甚少。我们项目的目的是解决这个基本问题，在完整的灵长类动物视觉系统的实验研究。我们将进行两组实验。首先，我们将检验早期视觉系统中的神经细胞只对视野的一小部分敏感的假设。我们将确定前皮质神经细胞的信号是否依赖于空间环境。其次，我们将使用多个电极同时研究几个神经细胞的信号。我们将确定是否需要许多神经细胞的信号来检测像视野检查中使用的那些小的视觉刺激。这些实验解决了基本的问题，但也适用于人类视觉和视觉功能障碍。良好的敏锐度对于阅读等日常任务至关重要，视觉灵敏度的缺陷用于早期检测青光眼和黄斑变性等疾病的神经功能障碍。因此，了解视知觉神经元的特性可以帮助我们了解正常的视觉表现，以及在部分视觉中的变化。这可以帮助开发更好的方法来检测和治疗这些疾病。