视觉研究的中心问题之一是视皮层的神经元是如何对前一级视觉信息进行整合的，而空间方位选择性的形成则是这一信息整合的典型代表，研究神经元空间方位选择性的跨脑区整合机制为我们窥探视觉大脑的工作原理提供了一个重要窗口。根据前人的研究结果推断神经元的空间方位选择性有两种可能的机制：一种是从前一级具有相似空间方位选择性的神经元继承而来，另一种是根据前一级神经元的拓扑投射整合而来。两种假说从原理上似乎都是行得通的，但是神经元的空间方位选择性的产生具体是哪一种，还是有其他的运行原理？为了回答这一问题，本研究计划主要在清醒猴的V4脑区开展电生理记录的手段，通过对感受野结构的描绘，和感受野亚区的空间方位选择性的分析，来推断具有不同空间频率选择性的V4神经元的空间方位选择性产生的可能的神经机制，为人们了解视皮层的神经元信息的整合机制提供一些新的重要的分析思路和实验证据。

A central question is how neurons from visual cortex integrates information form their source input. Orientation selectivity is one typical case of visual information integration. The transformation of orientation responses across different visual cortex offers a great window to explore the neural mechanisms underlying visual information integration. There are two main mechanisms according to earlier studies: 1. One neuron’s orientation selectivity may inherit from its source input. 2. Orientation selectivity may be integrated according to the topographic organization of a neuron’s input. Both of these two hypotheses seem to be reasonable in principle. Which is the truth? Or are there some other mechanisms for orientation information integration? To answer these questions, we need this grant’s support to perform electrophysiology recordings on awake macaque V4, to study the neural correlation between the orientation selectivity and neuron’s receptive field’s shape, structure and distribution of orientation selectivity of V4 neuron’s sub-areas. This study will help us to deduce the possible mechanism for the origin of orientation selectivity of V4 neurons in primates. Furthermore, this study will help us know more about the direction of visual information flow across different visual areas.