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1. Intracranial recording reveals the unique shape and temporal characteristics of the response of the human visual cortex in unreal visual events
2, the progress, defects and prospects of face image reconstruction
3, random sampling provides a unified explanation for the limits of visual working memory
4, The visual cortex of mice is modulated by the distance traveled and the oscillations of Theta
5, Facial Recognition System in the Macaque Brain: A Breakthrough Point for Understanding the Brain
Journal: Current Biology
By Aleah-jing
The illusionary change stimulus and the physical change stimulus under the competition between the eyes
In binocular competition, perception can also change spontaneously without any change in visual stimuli. What neural events cause this static stimulus to constantly change illusory vision? We recorded intracranial signals from two epilepsy patients on the occipital and posterior temporal lobes under two conditions, respectively 1) an illusory process of face-house binocular competition stimuli, or 2) a control stimulation process of viewing physical changes.
We conducted an in-participant comparison of the high-frequency responses of the wide frequency band, focusing on the signals along the ventral processing pathway over a single time period. We found that instantaneous facial and house selective responses lie on the same electrode that processes illusory and physical variations, but the temporal characteristics of these reactions are distinctly different. Neural responses to unreal changes are more durable than physical changes and exhibit a slow, characteristic rise. In addition, the response of unreal changes at the visual level exhibits the opposite chronological order compared to physical changes: for unreal changes, the higher-level fusiform gyrus and hippocampal side gyrus respond before the lower-level occipital lobes.
Our initial explanation for these findings is that there are two phases at the beginning of unreal change: the instability phase, where activities associated with the upcoming change gradually accumulate on a visual level, and eventually participation in top-down hierarchical activity that may stabilize a new perceptual understanding of stimuli.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.082
期刊：Trends in Cognitive Science
Author: Freya
Face image reconstruction provides basic information about face representation
Recent studies have shown that neural and behavioral data obtained when viewing images of faces can be used to reconstruct the images themselves. However, the theoretical implications, prospects and challenges of this research direction remain unclear. This paper evaluates the potential of this study to illuminate visual representation in facial recognition.
Specifically, we outline the study's complement and fusion of neurodynamic understanding of visual content, characterization structure, and face processing, and illustrate how this study addresses fundamental questions in normal and impaired face recognition research, and how image reconstruction research can provide a powerful framework for revealing facial expressions, unifying multiple types of empirical data, and facilitating theoretical and methodological advancements.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.06.006
Journal: PNAS
Author: Loren
A sampling mathematical framework for working memory models
Current research into the limits of human working memory is dominated by several different forms of models competing with each other, and the focus of their debate is whether the working memory represented internally is continuous or discrete. This study introduces a sampling method based on the principle of neural coding to help understand working memory limits.
The study re-conceptualized existing models with these terms, revealing strong commonalities between these opposing views, while also better identifying the differences between these models. Studies have shown that the discreteness or continuity of samples is not a key factor affecting model fit, and the random variability of sample counts is the key to affecting memory performance in individual reports and overall reporting tasks. The probabilistic limit on the number of items successfully retrieved (recalled) is of an urgent nature of random sampling and does not require a clear mechanism to enforce it. These findings address the differences between previous theories and establish a unified computational framework for working memory that conforms to neural principles.
https://www.pnas.org/content/117/34/20959
Both hippocampal CA1 position cells and V1 cells are regulated by the distance traveled
The visual response of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) is influenced by the animal's position in the environment. The position encoded by the V1 response fluctuates in tandem with the position encoded by the position cells in CA1 of the hippocampus. This correlation may reflect the combined effects of non-visuospatial signals on these two brain regions. In fact, the position cells in CA1 do not rely solely on vision. Their position preference also depends on the physical distance traveled and the phase of the 6–9 Hz theta oscillation.
Is the V1 response similarly influenced by these non-visual factors? When mice perform spatial tasks in a virtual corridor, mice need to run on wheels as well as lick reward positions, and we record both V1 and CA1 neuronal activity during this task. By varying the gain that couples wheel motion to the virtual environment, we found that about 20 percent of V1 neurons are affected by the physical distance traveled, and about 40 percent of CA1 position cells are similarly affected. In addition, the firing rate of about 24% of V1 neurons is regulated by the theta oscillation phase recorded in CA1, and the response curve of about 7% of V1 neurons undergoes spatial displacement over the entire theta cycle, a phenomenon similar to the phase progression observed in cells at approximately 37% CA1 position.
These results suggest that in a familiar environment, sensory information processing in V1 is regulated by a critical non-visual signal that also affects spatial encoding in the hippocampus.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.006
Journal: Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Author: Sniper
External objects are the basic elements that make up our consciousness: we perceive, remember, and think about them. For primates, the "face" is one of the most important external objects. In recent years, research into brain regions associated with facial recognition in macaque monkeys has provided us with a window into the detailed process of object recognition.
In this article, the authors review research on facial recognition systems in macaque monkeys, including their anatomy, coding principles, behavioral roles, and interactions with other brain regions. The authors highlight not only how it constitutes an object recognition prototype system, but also how it provides a breakthrough point for understanding mechanisms of higher cognitive function.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-020-00393-w
Reviewer: Freya (Brainnews Editorial Board)
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