scholarly journals Probing feature selectivity of neurons in primary visual cortex with natural stimuli

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatyana Sharpee ◽  
Hiroki Sugihara ◽  
A. V. Kurgansky ◽  
S. Rebrik ◽  
M. P. Stryker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
Feature Selectivity

The Feature Selectivity of the Phase of the Local Field Potential in the Primary Visual Cortex

2013 ◽  
Vol 749 ◽  
pp. 333-337
Author(s):  
Shu Li Chen ◽  
Zhi Zhong Wang ◽  
Li Shi ◽  
Hong Wan ◽  
Xiao Ke Niu
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Local Field ◽  
Local Field Potential ◽  
Microelectrode Array ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Intrinsic Mode Functions ◽  
Processing Information ◽  
Feature Selectivity ◽  
Extraction Model

Phase is an important feature of the local field potential (LFP) and plays a significant role in transmission and processing information in visual system. In this paper, the LFP of Long Evans rats primary visual cortex is recorded by the microelectrode array through the visual stimuli of the checkerboard and different orientation gratings. Then, a multi-mode phase extraction model based on the firing spikes was built. We found that neurons selective orientation information using the third intrinsic mode functions of local field potential during firing spikes.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Feature Selectivity and Invariance in Primary Visual Cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Almasi ◽  
Hamish Meffin ◽  
Shaun L. Cloherty ◽  
Yan Wong ◽  
Molis Yunzab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Object Processing ◽  
Complex Cells ◽  
Feature Selectivity ◽  
Visual Object Identification ◽  
Neuronal Computation

AbstractVisual object identification requires both selectivity for specific visual features that are important to the object’s identity and invariance to feature manipulations. For example, a hand can be shifted in position, rotated, or contracted but still be recognised as a hand. How are the competing requirements of selectivity and invariance built into the early stages of visual processing? Typically, cells in the primary visual cortex are classified as either simple or complex. They both show selectivity for edge-orientation but complex cells develop invariance to edge position within the receptive field (spatial phase). Using a data-driven model that extracts the spatial structures and nonlinearities associated with neuronal computation, we show that the balance between selectivity and invariance in complex cells is more diverse than thought. Phase invariance is frequently partial, thus retaining sensitivity to brightness polarity, while invariance to orientation and spatial frequency are more extensive than expected. The invariance arises due to two independent factors: (1) the structure and number of filters and (2) the form of nonlinearities that act upon the filter outputs. Both vary more than previously considered, so primary visual cortex forms an elaborate set of generic feature sensitivities, providing the foundation for more sophisticated object processing.

scholarly journals Deep convolutional models improve predictions of macaque V1 responses to natural images

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago A. Cadena ◽  
George H. Denfield ◽  
Edgar Y. Walker ◽  
Leon A. Gatys ◽  
Andreas S. Tolias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Transfer Learning ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Natural Images ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
High Level ◽  
Spiking Activity

AbstractDespite great efforts over several decades, our best models of primary visual cortex (V1) still predict spiking activity quite poorly when probed with natural stimuli, highlighting our limited understanding of the nonlinear computations in V1. Recently, two approaches based on deep learning have been successfully applied to neural data: On the one hand, transfer learning from networks trained on object recognition worked remarkably well for predicting neural responses in higher areas of the primate ventral stream, but has not yet been used to model spiking activity in early stages such as V1. On the other hand, data-driven models have been used to predict neural responses in the early visual system (retina and V1) of mice, but not primates. Here, we test the ability of both approaches to predict spiking activity in response to natural images in V1 of awake monkeys. Even though V1 is rather at an early to intermediate stage of the visual system, we found that the transfer learning approach performed similarly well to the data-driven approach and both outperformed classical linear-nonlinear and wavelet-based feature representations that build on existing theories of V1. Notably, transfer learning using a pre-trained feature space required substantially less experimental time to achieve the same performance. In conclusion, multi-layer convolutional neural networks (CNNs) set the new state of the art for predicting neural responses to natural images in primate V1 and deep features learned for object recognition are better explanations for V1 computation than all previous filter bank theories. This finding strengthens the necessity of V1 models that are multiple nonlinearities away from the image domain and it supports the idea of explaining early visual cortex based on high-level functional goals.Author summaryPredicting the responses of sensory neurons to arbitrary natural stimuli is of major importance for understanding their function. Arguably the most studied cortical area is primary visual cortex (V1), where many models have been developed to explain its function. However, the most successful models built on neurophysiologists’ intuitions still fail to account for spiking responses to natural images. Here, we model spiking activity in primary visual cortex (V1) of monkeys using deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which have been successful in computer vision. We both trained CNNs directly to fit the data, and used CNNs trained to solve a high-level task (object categorization). With these approaches, we are able to outperform previous models and improve the state of the art in predicting the responses of early visual neurons to natural images. Our results have two important implications. First, since V1 is the result of several nonlinear stages, it should be modeled as such. Second, functional models of entire visual pathways, of which V1 is an early stage, do not only account for higher areas of such pathways, but also provide useful representations for V1 predictions.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Feature Selectivity and Invariance in Primary Visual Cortex

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 5067-5087
Author(s):  
Ali Almasi ◽  
Hamish Meffin ◽  
Shaun L Cloherty ◽  
Yan Wong ◽  
Molis Yunzab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Object Processing ◽  
Complex Cells ◽  
Feature Selectivity ◽  
Visual Object Identification ◽  
Neuronal Computation

Abstract Visual object identification requires both selectivity for specific visual features that are important to the object’s identity and invariance to feature manipulations. For example, a hand can be shifted in position, rotated, or contracted but still be recognized as a hand. How are the competing requirements of selectivity and invariance built into the early stages of visual processing? Typically, cells in the primary visual cortex are classified as either simple or complex. They both show selectivity for edge-orientation but complex cells develop invariance to edge position within the receptive field (spatial phase). Using a data-driven model that extracts the spatial structures and nonlinearities associated with neuronal computation, we quantitatively describe the balance between selectivity and invariance in complex cells. Phase invariance is frequently partial, while invariance to orientation and spatial frequency are more extensive than expected. The invariance arises due to two independent factors: (1) the structure and number of filters and (2) the form of nonlinearities that act upon the filter outputs. Both vary more than previously considered, so primary visual cortex forms an elaborate set of generic feature sensitivities, providing the foundation for more sophisticated object processing.

scholarly journals Feature selectivity is stable in primary visual cortex across a range of spatial frequencies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian B. Jeon ◽  
Alex D. Swain ◽  
Jeffrey T. Good ◽  
Steven M. Chase ◽  
Sandra J. Kuhlman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Spatial Frequencies ◽  
Feature Selectivity

scholarly journals Amplification of feature selectivity by spatial convolution in primary visual cortex

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1344
Author(s):  
Felix Bartsch ◽  
Daniel A. Butts ◽  
Bruce Cumming
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Feature Selectivity

scholarly journals Learning Divisive Normalization in Primary Visual Cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max F. Burg ◽  
Santiago A. Cadena ◽  
George H. Denfield ◽  
Edgar Y. Walker ◽  
Andreas S. Tolias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Receptive Field ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Building Block ◽  
Natural Images ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
Classical Receptive Field ◽  
Divisive Normalization ◽  
The Brain

AbstractDivisive normalization (DN) is a prominent computational building block in the brain that has been proposed as a canonical cortical operation. Numerous experimental studies have verified its importance for capturing nonlinear response properties to simple, artificial stimuli, and computational studies suggest that DN is also an important component for processing natural stimuli. However, we lack quantitative models of DN that are directly informed by empirical data and applicable to arbitrary stimuli. Here, we developed an image-computable DN model and tested its ability to predict spiking responses of a large number of neurons to natural images. In macaque primary visual cortex (V1), we found that our model outperformed linear-nonlinear and wavelet-based feature representations and performed on par with state-of-the-art convolutional neural network models. Our model learns the pool of normalizing neurons and the magnitude of their contribution end-to-end from the data, answering a long-standing question about the tuning properties of DN: within the classical receptive field, oriented features were normalized preferentially by features with similar orientations rather than non-specifically as currently assumed. Overall, our work refines our view on gain control within the classical receptive field, quantifies the relevance of DN under stimulation with natural images and provides a new, high-performing, and compactly understandable model of V1.Author summaryDivisive normalization is a computational building block apparent throughout sensory processing in the brain. Numerous studies in the visual cortex have highlighted its importance by explaining nonlinear neural response properties to synthesized simple stimuli like overlapping gratings with varying contrasts. However, we do not know if and how this normalization mechanism plays a role when processing complex stimuli like natural images. Here, we applied modern machine learning methods to build a general divisive normalization model that is directly informed by data and quantifies the importance of divisive normalization. By learning the normalization mechanism from a data set of natural images and neural responses from macaque primary visual cortex, our model made predictions as accurately as current stat-of-the-art convolutional neural networks. Moreover, our model has fewer parameters and offers direct interpretations of them. Specifically, we found that neurons that respond strongly to a specific orientation are preferentially normalized by other neurons that are highly active for similar orientations. Overall, we propose a biologically motivated model of primary visual cortex that is compact, more interpretable, performs on par with standard convolutional neural networks and refines our view on how normalization operates in visual cortex when processing natural stimuli.

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