NEURAL MECHANISMS CONTROLLING RECEPTIVE FIELD PARAMETERS

关于视觉加工本质的几个理论和 初级视觉皮质的建筑功能是从 对接受场特征的基本认识及如何实现 这些感受野在不同的大脑皮层水平上相互作用。当前 有证据表明，在成年灵长类动物和猫的皮质中， 字段属性显示在以下位置发生了显著程度的集成 主要视觉区域(V1)。接受场的可修饰性程度 然而，它的神经基础仍然存在争议。目标是 这个项目的目的是确定远程侧向的作用 接触后产生感受野延展性的联系 一个人造盲点。这项研究将研究三种可能的突触 固有的水平连接可以用来修改 射频属性。它们的作用可能是由于突触的增加 疗效，由于兴奋性的普遍增加，或由于特定的 抑制性和/或兴奋性突触后输入。实验性的 本研究的方法结合了人工暗点。 电物理技术。然而，这项提案在他们的基础上进行了扩展 方法论以两种不同的方式：1)药理操作将 用来探索可能的突触机制。2)Tetrodes将 更全面地描述暗点对人口的影响 大脑皮层神经元。这两个修改将有助于获得更大的 洞察射频延展性的程度及其可能的机制 产生这些变化。最终，这些信息将有助于给出 更深入地了解初级视觉皮质是如何整合的 形成视觉感知和图像的信息。

Several theories concerning the nature of visual processing and architectural function of the primary visual cortex have evolved from the basic understanding of the receptive field characteristics and how these receptive fields interact at different cortical levels. Current evidence indicates that in the adult primate and cat cortex, receptive field properties show a significant degree of integration occurring in the primary visual area (V1). The degree of receptive field modifiability and its neurological substrate, however, remain controversial. The goal of this project is to determine the role of the long range lateral connections in generating receptive field malleability after exposure to an artificial scotoma. The study will investigate three possible synaptic mechanisms by which intrinsic horizontal connections could modify the RF properties. Their effect may be due to an increase in synaptic efficacy, due to a general increase in excitability, or due to specific inhibitory and /or excitatory postsynaptic input. The experimental approach of this study incorporates the artificial scotoma electrophysical techniques. However, this proposal expands upon their methodology in two different ways: 1) Pharmacological manipulations will be used to explore the possible synaptic mechanisms. 2) Tetrodes will give a more complete picture of the scotoma's effects on the population of cortical neurons. These two modifications will help to obtain greater insight to the degree of RF malleability and the possible mechanisms generating these changes. Ultimately, this information will help to give a deeper understanding of how the primary visual cortex integrates information to form visual perception and imagery.