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Abstract

Grant Number:	1R01EY017205-01
Project Title:	CRCNS - Higher-Level Neural Specialization/Natural Shape

PI Information:	Name	Email	Title
	CONNOR, CHARLES E.	connor@jhu.edu

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Long-term Objective: To discover how higher-level visual cortex is specialized to exploit the shape statistics of our natural environment. Natural objects have a very specific statistical structure imposed by conditions in our world: gravity, lighting, physics, biology, architecture, and standard observer viewpoints. The visual system is highly specialized to take advantage of natural shape statistics and focus on the most useful and available shape information. This specialization helps make biological vision far superior to current computer-based vision systems. Understanding this specialization will shed new light on neural mechanisms of human object vision and could suggest new strategies for computer-based visual recognition. Specific Aims: (1) Use high-throughput computer-based photographic image analysis to characterize shape statistics of natural objects, (2) Measure the distribution of tuning for the same quantitative shape measures in neurons recorded from high-level ventral pathway visual cortex of awake macaque monkeys, (3) Compare the resulting image statistics and neural tuning distributions in order to discover how high-level visual cortex is adapted to natural image structure. Public Health Relevance: This novel analysis of brain specialization for natural shape statistics provides a fresh approach to understanding the neural mechanisms of human object vision. Understanding these mechanisms will elucidate disease states in which visual object perception is compromised, suggest new strategies for designing computer-based vision systems that could compensate for loss of object vision, and could ultimately provide the critical knowledge base for designing and optimizing microelectrode-based devices to provide prosthetic sensory inputs to higher-level visual cortex.

Public Health Relevance:
This Public Health Relevance is not available.

Thesaurus Terms:
computational neuroscience, form /pattern perception, image processing, neural information processing, visual cortex, visual perception
computer program /software, statistics /biometry, substitute sight
Macaca mulatta, behavior test, behavioral /social science research tag, high throughput technology, microelectrode, single cell analysis

Institution:	JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
	W400 Wyman Park Building
	BALTIMORE, MD 212182680
Fiscal Year:	2005
Department:	NONE
Project Start:	15-SEP-2005
Project End:	31-AUG-2009
ICD:	NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
IRG:	ZRG1

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