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Panoramic visual statistics shape retina-wide organization of receptive fields
Divyansh Gupta1, Wiktor Młynarski1, Anton Sumser1,2
1Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Nature Neuroscience
|March 24, 2023
Summary
The early visual system adapts to natural scenes. Receptive fields in mouse retinas change shape, improving sensory coding efficiency by exploiting visual space structure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Vision Science
Background:
- Natural scene statistics are spatially nonuniform, varying from ground to sky.
- The early visual system's large-scale organization and its adaptation to these nonuniformities are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the early visual system's organization reflects natural scene nonuniformities.
- To determine the benefits of such adaptations for sensory coding efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the efficient coding hypothesis to predict changes in receptive field structure.
- Studied receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells in the mouse (Mus musculus).
- Analyzed receptive field shape variations along the dorsoventral retinal axis.
Main Results:
- Receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells exhibit shape changes along the dorsoventral axis.
- A significant surround asymmetry in receptive fields was observed at the visual horizon.
- These findings align with predictions derived from the efficient coding hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- The retina exploits the panoramic structure of natural scenes across visual space and cell types.
- Adaptations in receptive field structure enhance sensory coding efficiency, supporting the efficient coding hypothesis.
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