CORTICAL PROCESSING OF VISUAL MOTION

我的长期目标是了解神经处理是如何 纹外视皮层有助于视觉感知和视觉 引导性行为。拟议的研究将集中在纹外 在猴子中的一条通路，被认为主要参与了 视觉运动分析。这条通路始于纹状皮质， 继续穿过中颞区(MT)和内侧上区 到达顶叶视觉运动区之前的颞区(MST) 以更复杂的方式处理信息。从这些方面获得的洞察力 对恒河猴的研究很可能适用于人类的视觉系统。 由于已知恒河猴的视觉和眼球运动能力 与人类非常相似。此外，最近的神经学发现 提示人类存在一种特定的视觉运动皮质通路 也是。 实验将在清醒、行为正常的猴子中进行，训练它们 执行简单的视觉运动和视觉检测任务。1)行为举止 实验将测试MT的化学损伤对猴子的影响 能够检测视觉运动和时空对比度。这一行 调查应提供与职能部门有关的确定行为数据 MT在视觉知觉中的作用。2)生理实验将 专注于视觉和视觉运动反应的量化分析 MST内单个神经元的数量。我们将特别关注脑内神经元。 MST是已知对视觉刺激的反应和在 反应流畅的追逐眼球运动。这些输入之间的相互作用 将被检查，和驱动追逐的神经信号相关 我们会研究他们的回应。这些实验将是对之前 纹状皮质、黑质和黑质神经元对视觉运动反应的研究 顶叶，因此将完成初步的生理调查 这条大脑皮层运动路径的。

My long-term objective is to understand how neural processing in extrastriate visual cortex contributes to visual perception and visually guided behavior. The proposed research will focus on an extrastriate pathway in monkeys which is thought to be primarily involved in the analysis of visual motion. This pathway begins in striate cortex and continues through the Middle Temporal area (MT) and the Medial Superior Temporal area (MST) before reaching visuomotor regions of the parietal lobe that process information in more complex ways. Insight gained from these studies in rhesus monkeys may well be applicable to the human visual system since the visual and oculomotor capabilities of rhesus monkeys are known to be very similar to those of man. In addition, recent neurological findings suggest that a specific cortical pathway for visual motion exists in humans as well. Experiments will be carried out in awake, behaving monkeys trained to perform simple visuomotor and visual detection tasks. 1) Behavioral experiments will test the effects of chemical lesions of MT on a monkey's ability to detect visual motion and spatio-temporal contrast. This line of investigation should produce firm behavioral data concerning the functional role of MT in visual perceptions. 2) Physiological experiments will concentrate on a quantitative analysis of visual and visuomotor responses of single neurons in MST. Particular attention will be paid to neurons in MST which are known to fire in response to visual stimulation and in response to smooth pursuit eye movements. Interactions of these inputs will be examined, and the neural signals which drive the pursuit-related response will be studied. These experiments will complement previous studies of neuronal responses to visual motion in striate cortex, MT, and the parietal lobe, and will thus complete an initial physiological survey of this cortical motion pathway.