 |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Previous Article | Next Article
Volume 16, Number 10, Issue of May 15, 1996 pp. 3351-3362
Copyright ©1996 Society for NeuroscienceEfficient Coding of Natural Scenes in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus: Experimental Test of a Computational Theory
Received Oct. 16, 1995; revised Feb. 21, 1996; accepted Feb. 26, 1996.
Yang Dan1, Joseph J. Atick2, and R. Clay Reid1 Laboratories of 1 Neurobiology and 2 Computational Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021
A recent computational theory suggests that visual processing in the retina and the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) serves to recode information into an efficient form (). Information theoretic analysis showed that the representation of visual information at the level of the photoreceptors is inefficient, primarily attributable to a high degree of spatial and temporal correlation in natural scenes. It was predicted, therefore, that the retina and the LGN should recode this signal into a decorrelated form or, equivalently, into a signal with a ``white'' spatial and temporal power spectrum. In the present study, we tested directly the prediction that visual processing at the level of the LGN temporally whitens the natural visual input. We recorded the responses of individual neurons in the LGN of the cat to natural, time-varying images (movies) and, as a control, to white-noise stimuli. Although there is substantial temporal correlation in natural inputs (), we found that the power spectra of LGN responses were essentially white. Between 3 and 15 Hz, the power of the responses had an average variation of only ±10.3%. Thus, the signals that the LGN relays to visual cortex are temporarily decorrelated. Furthermore, the responses of X-cells to natural inputs can be well predicted from their responses to white-noise inputs. We therefore conclude that whitening of natural inputs can be explained largely by the linear filtering properties (). Our results suggest that the early visual pathway is well adapted for efficient coding of information in the natural visual environment, in agreement with the prediction of the computational theory.
Key words: lateral geniculate nucleus; coding; natural scenes; information theory; power spectrum; efficiency; visual cortex
This article has been cited by other articles:
P. Gill, S. M. N. Woolley, T. Fremouw, and F. E. Theunissen
What's That Sound? Auditory Area CLM Encodes Stimulus Surprise, Not Intensity or Intensity Changes
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2008; 99(6): 2809 - 2820.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
R. D. Kumbhani, M. J. Nolt, and L. A. Palmer
Precision, Reliability, and Information-Theoretic Analysis of Visual Thalamocortical Neurons
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2007; 98(5): 2647 - 2663.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
T. G. Weyand
Retinogeniculate Transmission in Wakefulness
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2007; 98(2): 769 - 785.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
L. C. Sincich, D. L. Adams, J. R. Economides, and J. C. Horton
Transmission of Spike Trains at the Retinogeniculate Synapse
J. Neurosci., March 7, 2007; 27(10): 2683 - 2692.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
E. A. Allen and R. D. Freeman
Dynamic spatial processing originates in early visual pathways.
J. Neurosci., November 8, 2006; 26(45): 11763 - 11774.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
V. Bonin, V. Mante, and M. Carandini
The statistical computation underlying contrast gain control.
J. Neurosci., June 7, 2006; 26(23): 6346 - 6353.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
A. Rokem, S. Watzl, T. Gollisch, M. Stemmler, A. V. M. Herz, and I. Samengo
Spike-Timing Precision Underlies the Coding Efficiency of Auditory Receptor Neurons
J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2006; 95(4): 2541 - 2552.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. Carandini, J. B. Demb, V. Mante, D. J. Tolhurst, Y. Dan, B. A. Olshausen, J. L. Gallant, and N. C. Rust
Do We Know What the Early Visual System Does?
J. Neurosci., November 16, 2005; 25(46): 10577 - 10597.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
J. de la Rocha and N. Parga
Short-Term Synaptic Depression Causes a Non-Monotonic Response to Correlated Stimuli
J. Neurosci., September 14, 2005; 25(37): 8416 - 8431.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
B. A. Olshausen and D. J. Field
How Close Are We to Understanding V1?
Neural Comput., August 1, 2005; 17(8): 1665 - 1699.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. A. Freed
Quantal Encoding of Information in a Retinal Ganglion Cell
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2005; 94(2): 1048 - 1056.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
J. Hegde and D. C. Van Essen
Temporal Dynamics of Shape Analysis in Macaque Visual Area V2
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2004; 92(5): 3030 - 3042.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
S. V. David, W. E. Vinje, and J. L. Gallant
Natural Stimulus Statistics Alter the Receptive Field Structure of V1 Neurons
J. Neurosci., August 4, 2004; 24(31): 6991 - 7006.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
C. Kayser, M. Kim, K. Ugurbil, D.-S. Kim, and P. Konig
A Comparison of Hemodynamic and Neural Responses in Cat Visual Cortex Using Complex Stimuli
Cereb Cortex, August 1, 2004; 14(8): 881 - 891.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
Z. Yang and D. Purves
From the Cover: The statistical structure of natural light patterns determines perceived light intensity
PNAS, June 8, 2004; 101(23): 8745 - 8750.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. S. Goldman
Enhancement of Information Transmission Efficiency by Synaptic Failures
Neural Comput., June 1, 2004; 16(6): 1137 - 1162.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
J. E. Niven, M. Vahasoyrinki, M. Juusola, and A. S. French
Interactions Between Light-Induced Currents, Voltage-Gated Currents, and Input Signal Properties in Drosophila Photoreceptors
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2004; 91(6): 2696 - 2706.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. A. Escabi, L. M. Miller, H. L. Read, and C. E. Schreiner
Naturalistic Auditory Contrast Improves Spectrotemporal Coding in the Cat Inferior Colliculus
J. Neurosci., December 17, 2003; 23(37): 11489 - 11504.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
Y. Prut and S. I. Perlmutter
Firing Properties of Spinal Interneurons during Voluntary Movement. II. Interactions between Spinal Neurons
J. Neurosci., October 22, 2003; 23(29): 9611 - 9619.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
X.-J. Wang, Y. Liu, M. V. Sanchez-Vives, and D. A. McCormick
Adaptation and Temporal Decorrelation by Single Neurons in the Primary Visual Cortex
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2003; 89(6): 3279 - 3293.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
D. Smyth, B. Willmore, G. E. Baker, I. D. Thompson, and D. J. Tolhurst
The Receptive-Field Organization of Simple Cells in Primary Visual Cortex of Ferrets under Natural Scene Stimulation
J. Neurosci., June 1, 2003; 23(11): 4746 - 4759.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
D. L. Barbour and X. Wang
Contrast Tuning in Auditory Cortex
Science, February 14, 2003; 299(5609): 1073 - 1075.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
J. Touryan, B. Lau, and Y. Dan
Isolation of Relevant Visual Features from Random Stimuli for Cortical Complex Cells
J. Neurosci., December 15, 2002; 22(24): 10811 - 10818.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
G. B. Stanley
Adaptive Spatiotemporal Receptive Field Estimation in the Visual Pathway
Neural Comput., December 1, 2002; 14(12): 2925 - 2946.
[Abstract] [Full Text]
J. Fiser and R. N. Aslin
From the Cover: Statistical learning of new visual feature combinations by infants
PNAS, November 26, 2002; 99(24): 15822 - 15826.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
J. H. van Hateren, L. Ruttiger, H. Sun, and B. B. Lee
Processing of Natural Temporal Stimuli by Macaque Retinal Ganglion Cells
J. Neurosci., November 15, 2002; 22(22): 9945 - 9960.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
B. Lau, G. B. Stanley, and Y. Dan
Computational subunits of visual cortical neurons revealed by artificial neural networks
PNAS, June 25, 2002; 99(13): 8974 - 8979.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
W. E. Vinje and J. L. Gallant
Natural Stimulation of the Nonclassical Receptive Field Increases Information Transmission Efficiency in V1
J. Neurosci., April 1, 2002; 22(7): 2904 - 2915.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. S. Goldman, P. Maldonado, and L. F. Abbott
Redundancy Reduction and Sustained Firing with Stochastic Depressing Synapses
J. Neurosci., January 15, 2002; 22(2): 584 - 591.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. C. Wiener, M. W. Oram, Z. Liu, and B. J. Richmond
Consistency of Encoding in Monkey Visual Cortex
J. Neurosci., October 15, 2001; 21(20): 8210 - 8221.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
R. W. Friedrich and G. Laurent
Dynamic Optimization of Odor Representations by Slow Temporal Patterning of Mitral Cell Activity
Science, February 2, 2001; 291(5505): 889 - 894.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. Sigman, G. A. Cecchi, C. D. Gilbert, and M. O. Magnasco
On a common circle: Natural scenes and Gestalt rules
PNAS, February 1, 2001; (2001) 31571498.
[Abstract] [Full Text]
B. Blais, L. N. Cooper, and H. Shouval
Formation of Direction Selectivity in Natural Scene Environments
Neural Comput., May 1, 2000; 12(5): 1057 - 1066.
[Abstract] [Full Text]
F. E. Theunissen, K. Sen, and A. J. Doupe
Spectral-Temporal Receptive Fields of Nonlinear Auditory Neurons Obtained Using Natural Sounds
J. Neurosci., March 15, 2000; 20(6): 2315 - 2331.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
W. E. Vinje and J. L. Gallant
Sparse Coding and Decorrelation in Primary Visual Cortex During Natural Vision
Science, February 18, 2000; 287(5456): 1273 - 1276.
[Abstract] [Full Text]
G. B. Stanley, F. F. Li, and Y. Dan
Reconstruction of Natural Scenes from Ensemble Responses in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
J. Neurosci., September 15, 1999; 19(18): 8036 - 8042.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
I. Ohzawa, G. C. Deangelis, and R. D. Freeman
Encoding of Binocular Disparity by Complex Cells in the Cat's Visual Cortex
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 1997; 77(6): 2879 - 2909.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. J. Berry, D. K. Warland, and M. Meister
The structure and precision of retinal spike trains
PNAS, May 13, 1997; 94(10): 5411 - 5416.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
M. Sigman, G. A. Cecchi, C. D. Gilbert, and M. O. Magnasco
On a common circle: Natural scenes and Gestalt rules
PNAS, February 13, 2001; 98(4): 1935 - 1940.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|