Cortical Mechanisms for Visual Perception

当我们睁开眼睛时，我们似乎毫不费力地感知外部世界，并有这样的印象，即我们对外部世界的表征是高度准确的。然而，现实是，我们对同一事件的感知可能会从一个时刻到下一个时刻发生变化，这种变化至少部分是由于刺激到达的时间相对于正在进行的脑电波，即，大脑电活动的振荡。 在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，Ro博士和纽约（CUNY）的同事将进行一系列系统的实验，以评估大脑不同区域之间视觉信息处理的时间以及前馈和反馈信息对视觉感知的联合影响。 本项目采用包括结构和功能磁共振成像（MRI）、脑电图（EEG）、快速信号光学成像、经颅磁刺激（TMS）和心理物理学方法在内的融合方法，介绍了一种理解视觉处理变化的创新方法。本研究将促进我们对视觉感知的认识，这反过来将为开发更好的视觉替代或康复技术提供坚实的基础，这些技术用于全球近3亿患有先天性或后天性视觉处理缺陷的个体。 这项研究还将为博士后研究员、本科生和研究生提供神经科学方面的尖端培训机会，包括妇女和代表性不足的少数民族。最后，这些研究将产生大量的TMS、MRI、EEG和光学成像数据，可供其他研究人员共享。

When we open our eyes, we seem to effortlessly perceive the external world and have the impression that our representations of the external world are highly accurate. Yet the reality is that our perceptions of an identical event can vary from one moment to the next and this variation is at least in part due to the timing of stimulus arrival relative to the on-going brain waves, i.e., the oscillation in the electrical activity of the brain. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Ro and colleagues of the City University of New York (CUNY) will conduct a systematic series of experiments to assess the timing of visual information processing between different regions of the brain and the joint influence of feedforward and feedback information on visual perception. Using converging methodological approaches that include structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), fast signal optical imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and psychophysical methods, this project introduces an innovative approach to the understanding of variations in visual processing.This research will advance our knowledge of visual perception, which in turn will provide a solid foundation for developing better visual substitution or rehabilitation techniques for the nearly 300 million individuals worldwide with congenital or acquired visual processing deficits. This research will also provide cutting-edge training opportunities in neuroscience for postdoctoral fellows and undergraduate and graduate students, including women and underrepresented minorities. Finally, these studies will yield a large amount of TMS, MRI, EEG, and optical imaging data that will be available for sharing with other researchers.