The development of perceptual spatial interactions: psychophysics and neurophysiology

感知空间相互作用的发展：心理物理学和神经生理学

• 批准号: 327351-2011
• 负责人: Ellemberg, Dave
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: Université de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=571994
• 关键词: development; perceptual; spatial; interactions; psychophysics

Research on visual development has long been guided by two hypotheses: visual development is complete during infancy and the different visual functions (e.g., contrast sensitivity, acuity, motion perception, form perception) mature at the same rate. This explains why there are few studies of visual development beyond infancy. A series of recent studies from our laboratory cast serious doubt about these two hypotheses. Indeed, we found that several visual functions do not attain maturity before late childhood or even early adolescence and that not all visual functions mature at the same rate. In an attempt to better understand the mechanisms of this protracted maturation, the proposed research will investigate the development of the functional architecture of perceptual lateral interactions. Spatial lateral interactions occur when the perception of a visual target is altered by the presence of neighbouring elements. Understanding the rules that underlie the development of lateral interactions provides critical information about the make-up of the visual system. Specifically, by means of psychophysical and neurophysiological (Visual Evoked Potentials) methodologies, we endeavour to study the development of lateral spatial interactions in order to understand the rules of 1) the suppressive responses of visual neurons, 2) their orientation and spatial frequency tuning, and 3) their contrast gain control. The research supported by the current proposal is important for our understanding of human brain development and its functional organization and plasticity. This will be of great interest for researchers in the field of neurosciences, biology, engineering, and medicine. This research will enable Canadian researchers to gain international leadership in the field of developmental neurosciences.

长期以来，关于视觉发育的研究一直受到两个假设的指导：视觉发育在婴儿期完成，不同的视觉功能（例如，对比敏感度、敏锐度、运动知觉、形状知觉）以相同的速率成熟。这就解释了为什么很少有关于婴儿期以后视觉发育的研究。我们实验室最近的一系列研究对这两个假设提出了严重的质疑。事实上，我们发现，有几种视觉功能在儿童晚期甚至青春期早期之前不会达到成熟，并且并非所有视觉功能都以相同的速度成熟。 为了更好地理解这种长期成熟的机制，拟议的研究将调查知觉横向互动的功能架构的发展。当视觉目标的感知被相邻元素的存在改变时，空间横向相互作用发生。了解横向相互作用发展的基本规则，可以提供有关视觉系统组成的关键信息。具体而言，通过心理物理学和神经生理学（视觉诱发电位）方法，我们努力研究横向空间相互作用的发展，以了解1）视觉神经元的抑制反应，2）它们的方向和空间频率调谐，3）它们的对比度增益控制的规则。 目前提案支持的研究对于我们理解人类大脑发育及其功能组织和可塑性非常重要。这将是在神经科学，生物学，工程学和医学领域的研究人员极大的兴趣。这项研究将使加拿大研究人员在发展神经科学领域取得国际领先地位。