Dynamics of Visual Motion Processing

Dynamics of Visual Motion Processing
Author: Guillaume S. Masson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2009-12-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1441907815

Motion processing is an essential piece of the complex brain machinery that allows us to reconstruct the 3D layout of objects in the environment, to break camouflage, to perform scene segmentation, to estimate the ego movement, and to control our action. Although motion perception and its neural basis have been a topic of intensive research and modeling the last two decades, recent experimental evidences have stressed the dynamical aspects of motion integration and segmentation. This book presents the most recent approaches that have changed our view of biological motion processing. These new experimental evidences call for new models emphasizing the collective dynamics of large population of neurons rather than the properties of separate individual filters. Chapters will stress how the dynamics of motion processing can be used as a general approach to understand the brain dynamics itself.

Visual motion and self-motion processing in the human brain, MPI Series in Biological Cybernetics, Bd. 31

Visual motion and self-motion processing in the human brain, MPI Series in Biological Cybernetics, Bd. 31
Author: Elvira Fischer
Publisher: Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2011
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 3832529942

For the successful recognition of objective, `real' motion based on visual cues it is necessary to take self-induced motion signals into account, such as those induced by eye-movements. During a series of fMRI studies we measured responses of visual and parietal regions to motion cues derived from (a) retinal motion, (b) eyemovements (visual pursuit) and (c) objective, (real) motion. We show that the recently described cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv) is not, as implied before, primarily driven by 3D self-motion cues but favoured 2D translational coherent motion over 3D expanding flow fields. Further, we found that V3A is capable of integrating retinal motion with eye-movements, thus allowing V3A to respond to object motion independent of retinal motion. This allowed us to define a new functional localizer for area V3A. Finally, we showed that activity in the foveal representation of the early visual cortex is driven by a combination of retinal input and by error signals as hypothesized by of Rao and Ballard (1999) for predictive coding. Taken together, this work provides evidence that regions V3A and CSv are key regions concerning visual self-motion processing and that early visual regions might be modulated by feedback from higher motion processing regions.

Somesthesis and the Neurobiology of the Somatosensory Cortex

Somesthesis and the Neurobiology of the Somatosensory Cortex
Author: O. Franzen
Publisher: Birkhäuser
Total Pages: 423
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3034890168

This volume is a compilation of current research on somatosensation and its underlying mechanisms written by international experts from a broad range of disciplines. It is divided into six sections:· structural basis of information processing and neocortical neurotransmitters · psychophysics of somatosensation · cortical representation of somatosensation · sensory-motor interface · neuronal population behavior · cortical neurocomputation and modelling. It highlights not only important new findings but also novel methods and technologies applied to major unresolved issues in the field of neuroscience. The number of methods for investigating the neural mechanisms of soma-tosensory perception has grown substantially in the last decade. The book encompasses levels of inquiry from ionic channels, single unit recordings of neural activity, and functional brain imaging of the coordinated activity of large neuronal ensembles to human psychophysics of controlled somatic stimulation. This work is of great value for researchers and students interested in the dynamic neuronal mechanisms involved in the complex processes of sensory perception and provides a picture of our present understanding of the neural representation of the external world relayed through the somatosensory system.

Low-level Visual Cortex and Motion Perception

Low-level Visual Cortex and Motion Perception
Author: Nicolas Wotawa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2006
Genre:
ISBN:

The evolution of cerebral imaging technologies combined with specific image processing algorithms contribute to improving our knowledge of the brain functioning, in particular regarding visual perception. This thesis contributes to current understanding implied in visual motion perception in humans, based on complementary information brought by different Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) modalities. The first part of this work focuses on functional MRI (fMRI) identification of low-level visual areas. We detail the fMRI retinotopic mapping procedure we developed, from the stimulus design to the final anatomo-functional analysis. A specific functional localization of the hMT/V5+ complex is also obtained with a block design. These methods, optimized according to some stimulation parameters, allow the extraction of individually defined and homogeneous Regions Of Interest (ROI). In the second part, we characterize functionally these previously identified low-level visual areas. Based on the recent fMR-Adaptation paradigm, which allows to investigate the sensitivity of a cortical region to quantitative variations of a given feature, we demonstrate a functional differentiation across areas regarding their relative sensitivity to visual direction of motion. Lastly, we combine fMRI and Diffusion Tensor MRI (DTI) to study the anatomical connectivity within the low-level visual cortex. Based on state of the art white matter fibers mapping algorithms, this characterization gives insights on the network of areas implied, among others, in visual motion processing.

Discovering the Brain

Discovering the Brain
Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 1992-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309045290

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Visual Detection of Motion

Visual Detection of Motion
Author: Andrew T. Smith
Publisher:
Total Pages: 504
Release: 1994
Genre: Medical
ISBN:

The brain's ability to detect movement within the retinal image is crucial not only for determining the trajectories of moving objects, but also for identifying and interpreting image motion resulting from eye and head movements. This book summarizes our knowledge of how information about image motion is encoded in the brain. Key Features * Valuable reference source for those involved in the rapidly expanding area of motion perception * Strong emphasis on integration of physiological, computation, and psychophysical approaches * Topics include: * Principles of local motion detection * Inputs to local motion detectors * Integration of motion signals * Higher-order interpretation of motion * Motion detection and eye movements

Functional Neuroimaging of Visual Cognition

Functional Neuroimaging of Visual Cognition
Author: Nancy Kanwisher
Publisher:
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2004
Genre: Brain
ISBN:

Functional neuroimaging has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the brain, and has, up to now, guided the field of cognitive neuroscience. For the latest volume in this prestigious series, Nancy Kanwisher and John Duncan have brought together world leaders in cognitive neuroscience to present a groundbreaking, state-of-the-art account of current imaging research in visual cognition. Topics include funtional and anatomical modularity of the visual system; mechanisms of object and pattern recognition; neural plasticity in evolution, development, and learning; selective attention to visual features, objects, and locations; sensorimotor control. Together these chapters give a fascinating insight into how current imaging research addressed not just the "where" but more importantly the "how" of our brain's understanding of the visual world. Finally, in his conclusion, Michael Posner considers what we have achieved so far with neuroimaging, and looks to the future and the next steps in our quest to understand brain function. Superbly edited and full of stunning color images, this will be one of the key publications in the field of cognitive neuroscience.

The Brain

The Brain
Author: Jean-Pierre Changeux
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2017-11-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1351305182

One of the vastly exciting areas in modern science involves the study of the brain. Recent research focuses not only on how the brain works but how it is related to what we normally call the mind, and throws new light on human behavior. Progress has been made in researching all that relates to interior man, why he thinks and feels as he does, what values he chooses to adopt, and what practices to scorn. All of these attributes make us human and help to explain art, philosophy, and religions. Motion, sight, and memory, as well as emotions and the sentiments common to humans, are all given new meaning by what we have learned about the brain. In an introductory essay, Vernon B. Mountcastle traces the progress made in brain science during this century. Gerald M. Edelman touches upon features of the brain that challenge the picture of the brain as a machine. Semir Zeki discusses artists and artistic expression as an extension of the function of the brain. Richard S. J. Frackowiak probes the functional architecture of the brain. Mark F. Bear and Leon N Cooper explore whether complex neural systems can be illuminated by theoretical structures. Jean-Pierre Changeux sheds light on the knowledge gained in recent years concerning the neurobiology and pharmacology of drug action and addiction. Alexander A. Borbuly and Giulio Tononi ponder the quest for the essence of sleep, illuminating its complex dynamic process. George L. Gabor Miklos examines variations in neuroanatomies and sensory systems between individuals of the same species as well as variations across the evolutionary spectrum. Emilio Bizzi and Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi explain how scientists have approached the study of movement, the problems encountered, and the solutions proposed. Marcel Kinsbourne explores the unity and diversity in the human brain. In the concluding essay, Andy Clark points to recent work in neuroscience, robotics, and psychology that stresses the unexpected intimacy of brain, body, and world, supporting his belief that the mind is best understood as a brain at home in its proper bodily cultural and environmental niche. The breadth and scope of subjects covered in this volume attest to the extraordinary progress taking place in the study of the brain. This brilliant collection of essays by those at the forefront of research in this area will be of interest to all those interested in human behavior. Gerald M. Edelman is director of the Neurosciences Institute and chairman of the Department of Neurobiology at the Scripps Research Institute. Jean-Pierre Changeux is professor at the Collbge de France and the Institute Pasteur.