Development and Function of Brain Maps in the Visual System

在这项研究中，首席研究员和合作者将研究在高等动物皮层中发现的一类被称为脑图的大脑结构的形成和功能的理论。脑图在高等动物的大脑中很常见，涉及各种计算任务，如处理感觉信息和生成运动命令，也可能用于与记忆和语言相关的高级功能的表现。研究者的研究将集中在初级视觉区域的脑图上，重点是视网膜定位图，以及该图的方向和眼优势柱亚结构。具体来说，研究者将研究局部地图结构、皮质内连接方案和单细胞响应特性之间的关系。本研究的比较部分将在一台大规模并行计算机上进行。这是一个及时而重要的课题，研究方法是多学科的，该领域的现状使这项研究适合探索性研究项目的小额资助。

In this research the principal investigator with collaborators will study theories of the formation and function of a class of brain structures called brain maps found in the cortex of higher animals. Brain maps are common in the brains of higher animals and are involved in various computational tasks such as processing sensory information, and generating motor commands, and are probably also used in the performance of high-level functions related to memory and language. The investigator's study will focus on brain maps in primary visual areas, with emphasis on the retinotopic map, and on the orientation and ocular dominance column substructure of this map. Specifically the investigator will investigate the relations between the local map structure, intra-cortical connectivity schemes, and the response properties of single cells. The comparative aspects of this study will be performed on a massively parallel computer. This is a timely and important topic, the research is multidisciplinary in approach, and the state of the field makes this research appropriate for the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program.