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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
On the relation between receptive field structure and stimulus selectivity in the tree shrew primary visual cortex.
Julia Veit1, Anwesha Bhattacharyya1, Robert Kretz2
1Department of Medicine, Visual Cognition Laboratory, University of Fribourg, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland and.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|May 23, 2013
Summary
Tree shrew primary visual cortex (V1) neurons show similarities to primates, with intracortical processing crucial for orientation selectivity. Receptive field structure, particularly when mapped with extensive stimuli, predicts orientation preference in V1.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual System Research
- Comparative Mammalian Studies
Background:
- Mammalian primary visual cortex (V1) exhibits species-specific functional properties, including simple/complex cell prevalence and orientation selectivity.
- Tree shrews, primates' close relatives, offer a valuable model for understanding V1 organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze receptive field (RF) structure, response modulation, and orientation tuning in tree shrew V1.
- To compare V1 functional organization in tree shrews with that of primates.
Main Methods:
- Mapping neuronal receptive fields using sparse-noise stimuli to probe feed-forward inputs.
- Utilizing Hartley subspace stimuli to investigate responses influenced by intracortical processing.
- Measuring F1/F0 modulation and stimulus polarity preference.
Main Results:
- Spatial RF subfield segregation, a simple cell marker, was minimal in tree shrew V1.
- Elevated F1/F0 modulation was observed, potentially due to robust stimulus polarity preference.
- RF structure mapped with extensive stimuli (Hartley subspace) predicted orientation preference, unlike sparse-noise mapping.
Conclusions:
- Tree shrew V1 shares functional organizational similarities with primate V1.
- Intracortical recurrent processing plays a significant role in shaping V1 response properties in tree shrews and primates.
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