Mechanisms And Pathways Leading To Saccadic Suppression In Primate Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$858,086.00
Summary
Only the central few degrees of the visual field are viewed in high resolution. Consequently, the eyes must be pointed at targets of interest using saccadic eye movements. Each saccade generates potentially disturbing image motion but this is never perceived: saccadic suppression. This project aims to characterise the neural basis of saccadic suppression using modern techniques. As a result, a prime question in Neuroscience for over 100 years can now be answered.
Neuronal Linking Of Attention, Perception And Action
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$586,469.00
Summary
We are able to perceive and interact with the environment around us primarily because a filter of attention selects just the objects or features of relevance in the world and helps to make appropriate motor responses. This project will study how attentional networks of the brain operate to link our perception and action. An understanding of this process is fundamental to revealing the underlying pathology in many neurological conditions where attention is impaired.
Neural Circuits For Active Vision In The Primate Cerebral Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,938.00
Summary
This project will try to understand how we use visual information to identify objects by their shape and motion, in natural situations in which the eyes are moving all the time. This will be accomplished by recording the electrical activity of brain cells while a trained animal is performing different types of tasks, such as tracking a moving object or exploring a scene with its eyes.
One of the main trends in the evolution of the primate brain was the huge expansion of the cortical areas devoted to visual processing. However, the exact role of individual areas remains highly controversial, making detailed physiological and anatomical studies in suitable primate models a key step to elucidating their function in the human brain. We will address one particular aspect of this problem, namely the organisation of the cortical areas that provide visual control for skilled movement ....One of the main trends in the evolution of the primate brain was the huge expansion of the cortical areas devoted to visual processing. However, the exact role of individual areas remains highly controversial, making detailed physiological and anatomical studies in suitable primate models a key step to elucidating their function in the human brain. We will address one particular aspect of this problem, namely the organisation of the cortical areas that provide visual control for skilled movements. It is proposed that there are two parallel brain circuits involved in the analysis of motion, one tracking the movement of objects, and the other analysing a person s self-motion. Consider, for example, the task of a tennis player who has to return a serve. In order to achieve this, the brain must precisely integrate information about the ball s motion, as well as information about the player s speed and direction. This requires precise control of eye movements (to keep the eyes on the ball), as well as the ability to control the limb and trunk muscles. The aim of this study will be to map the anatomical framework underlying our ability to process all the relevant visual motion information, and to coordinate the appropriate motor responses. Such work is fundamental for understanding the functional organisation of the brain. It also has the potential to lay the groundwork for developments in areas of applied research, including medicine (e.g. the design of better rehabilitation strategies for people with brain damage), robotics- artificial intelligence (e.g. the improvement of artificial systems capable of vision), and the cognitive sciences (e.g. a better understanding of factors that limit human responses to visual stimuli).Read moreRead less
The Role Of The Prefrontal Cortex In Working Memory For Visual Motion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,796.00
Summary
As objects of interest may not always be in one's view, it is important to store information about their spatial locations for future reference. For example, you could reach for a beverage without taking your eyes from this application. While this may be effortless, such tasks are fundamentally complex, requiring spatial information to be coded, stored in memory and retrieved at appropriate times. This proposal examines how interactions between different brain areas allow this to happen.
Visuomotor Integration In The Medial Parietal Cortical Areas
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,163.00
Summary
This project will find out how the electrical activity of brain cells is used to direct the arms to a specific position in the space around a person's body. By understanding the code used by brain cells to perform this control of the arms, we will be able to "read" the brain activity directly, and use it to allow control of artificial arms by people who have been paralysed or had amputations.
Combining input from vision and hearing greatly enhances perception when information from one of these senses is degraded or incomplete, such as when tracking objects in foggy, dark or noisy places. This enhancement is of considerable importance because degraded input is the daily situation faced by many people with hearing or vision impairment. We will study the neural processes underlying our ability to combine vision and hearing to create a more reliable and accurate perception of the world.
Functional Anisotropies In The Processing Of Orientation And Direction-of-motion By Human Visual Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,164.00
Summary
We will study patterns of activity in the human brain to identify the cortical signature of normal visual function. The correspondences between patterns of brain activity and the structure and motion of the visual image in the normal human brain will provide data against which brain activity in a range of disorders from amblyopia to schizophrenia can be assessed.
Neural Circuits For Residual Vision After Damage To Striate Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$662,220.00
Summary
Brain cells have the ability to rearrange their connections to create alternate pathways, which compensate for loss of function following brain damage. To understand why some people become blind after damage to the visual cortex, and some don't, we will determine how neural connections change following lesions in different stages of life. The project will provide important information that may allow future development of treatments for blindness due to stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Orientation-specific Contextual Modulation In Human Visual Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,413.00
Summary
Context has a strong infuence on our visual perception. We will study patterns of activity in the normal human brain to identify the cortical signature of contextual modulation in vision. The correspondences between patterns of brain activity and visual perception in the normal human brain will provide data against which brain activity in disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be assessed.