QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, November 16, 2005, 25(46):10577-10597; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3726-05.2005

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (33) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carandini, M. Articles by Rust, N. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carandini, M. Articles by Rust, N. C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Symposia and Mini-Symposia
Do We Know What the Early Visual System Does?

Matteo Carandini,¹ Jonathan B. Demb,² Valerio Mante,¹ David J. Tolhurst,³ Yang Dan,⁴ Bruno A. Olshausen,⁶ Jack L. Gallant,^5,6 and Nicole C. Rust⁷

¹Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, California 94115, ²Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, ³Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom, Departments of ⁴Molecular and Cellular Biology and ⁵Psychology and ⁶Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, and ⁷Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003

Abstract

We can claim that we know what the visual system does once we can predict neural responses to arbitrary stimuli, including those seen in nature. In the early visual system, models based on one or more linear receptive fields hold promise to achieve this goal as long as the models include nonlinear mechanisms that control responsiveness, based on stimulus context and history, and take into account the nonlinearity of spike generation. These linear and nonlinear mechanisms might be the only essential determinants of the response, or alternatively, there may be additional fundamental determinants yet to be identified. Research is progressing with the goals of defining a single "standard model" for each stage of the visual pathway and testing the predictive power of these models on the responses to movies of natural scenes. These predictive models represent, at a given stage of the visual pathway, a compact description of visual computation. They would be an invaluable guide for understanding the underlying biophysical and anatomical mechanisms and relating neural responses to visual perception.

Key words: contrast; lateral geniculate nucleus; luminance; primary visual cortex; receptive field; retina; visual system; natural images

---

Received Sep 2, 2005; revised October 10, 2005; accepted October 11, 2005.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. L. Beaudoin, M. B. Manookin, and J. B. Demb Distinct expressions of contrast gain control in parallel synaptic pathways converging on a retinal ganglion cell J. Physiol., November 15, 2008; 586(22): 5487 - 5502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Demb Functional circuitry of visual adaptation in the retina J. Physiol., September 15, 2008; 586(18): 4377 - 4384. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Niell and M. P. Stryker Highly Selective Receptive Fields in Mouse Visual Cortex J. Neurosci., July 23, 2008; 28(30): 7520 - 7536. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Zhan and C. L. Baker Jr Critical Spatial Frequencies for Illusory Contour Processing in Early Visual Cortex Cereb Cortex, May 1, 2008; 18(5): 1029 - 1041. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Bandyopadhyay, L. A. J. Reiss, and E. D. Young Receptive Field for Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus Neurons at Multiple Sound Levels J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2007; 98(6): 3505 - 3515. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. McKeeff, D. A. Remus, and F. Tong Temporal Limitations in Object Processing Across the Human Ventral Visual Pathway J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2007; 98(1): 382 - 393. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. A. Zaghloul, M. B. Manookin, B. G. Borghuis, K. Boahen, and J. B. Demb Functional Circuitry for Peripheral Suppression in Mammalian Y-Type Retinal Ganglion Cells J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2007; 97(6): 4327 - 4340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Khanbabaie, A. S. Mahani, and R. Wessel Contextual Interaction of GABAergic Circuitry With Dynamic Synapses J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2007; 97(4): 2802 - 2811. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Beaudoin, B. G. Borghuis, and J. B. Demb Cellular Basis for Contrast Gain Control over the Receptive Field Center of Mammalian Retinal Ganglion Cells J. Neurosci., March 7, 2007; 27(10): 2636 - 2645. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Mechler, I. E. Ohiorhenuan, and J. D. Victor Speed Dependence of Tuning to One-Dimensional Features in V1 J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2007; 97(3): 2423 - 2438. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Carandini What simple and complex cells compute J. Physiol., December 1, 2006; 577(2): 463 - 466. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. V. M. Herz, T. Gollisch, C. K. Machens, and D. Jaeger Modeling single-neuron dynamics and computations: a balance of detail and abstraction. Science, October 6, 2006; 314(5796): 80 - 85. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help