Functional Connectivity of The Visual Brain and its Alteration by External Factors

灵长类大脑中神经元的活动与感知直接相关。我们建议研究我们是否可以取代视觉经验的元素，在复杂的视觉感知的形式。事实上，这是任何视觉假体的先决条件。为了实现这一点，我们将使用一种新型的层状探针，它能够在视觉皮层的所有层进行多点记录或刺激。将探针植入健康非人灵长类动物的初级视觉皮层（V1）或在纹外区V5/MT中急性使用。在这两个领域，我们将收集高分辨率的电生理记录。记录将用于设计适应每个目标的刺激模式。在最初的实验中，我们将证明我们的系统能够通过电刺激V1使动物执行检测任务来唤起视觉感知，称为光幻视。为了从光幻视发展到复杂的感知，还将测试电V1微刺激是否可以扭曲猴子对更复杂的视觉刺激的感知。在V5/MT中，我们将进行多点记录，以更好地了解复杂刺激（例如，组合运动和视差）被编码，以及跨几个部位的刺激如何改变其感知。作为补充，我们将使用功能磁共振成像来评估每个目标的刺激招募了多少视觉系统，以及慢性刺激对视觉皮层连接的影响。该项目符合生物科学促进健康BBSRC优先领域的框架。事实上，这一框架的目标是在多个层面上发现对“健康系统”的深入、综合理解。如今，英国不得不面对与人口老龄化有关的挑战。因此，确定了四项关键挑战：营养与健康、一个健康、促进健康的生物技术和终身健康，其目的是通过了解年轻健康主体来纠正与衰老有关的疾病，如视力障碍。BfH、ENWW

The activity of neurons in the primate brain is directly linked to perception. We propose to investigate whether we can replace elements of visual experience in the form of complex visual percepts. Indeed, this is a pre-requisite for any visual prosthesis. In order to achieve this, we will use a new kind of laminar probe that is able to do multisite recordings or stimulation across all layers of the visual cortex. Probes will be implanted in healthy non-human primates' primary visual cortex (V1) or used acutely in extrastriate area V5/MT. In both areas, we will collect high-resolution electrophysiology recordings. Recordings will be used to design stimulation patterns adapted to each target. In an initial experiment, we will show that our system is able to evoke visual percept, called phosphenes, by electrically stimulating V1 by making the animal perform a detection task. To progress from phosphenes to complex percepts, will also test whether electrical V1 microstimulation can skew the monkey's perception of a more complex visual stimulus. In V5/MT, we will do multisite recordings to understand better how a complex stimulus (eg. combining motion and disparity) is coded and how the stimulation across several sites can alter its perception. Complementarily, we will use fMRI to evaluate how much of the visual system is recruited by each target's stimulation, and the effect of chronic stimulation on the visual cortex's connectivity. This project fits in the frame of the Bioscience for Health BBSRC priority area. Indeed, this framework sets for aim the discovery of deep, integrated understanding of the 'healthy system' at multiple levels. Nowadays, the UK has to face the challenges linked to an ageing population. Therefore, four key challenges have been defined: Nutrition and Health, One Health, Biotechnology for Health and Lifelong Health which aims to correct the diseases, like vision impairment, linked to ageing by the understanding of the young healthy subject. BfH, ENWW