Neural mechanisms for visual perception of speed during self-motion

Aman Saleem (primary)
Experimental Psychology
University College London
Isabelle Mareschal (secondary)
Psychology
Queen Mary, University of London

Abstract

Understanding how the brain processes visual images is a fundamental question in neuroscience. As we constantly move around in the world, changes in the visual scene are largely generated by our own movements. This is particularly true for visual features related to motion and flow, and our perception of speed is known to be altered by movement. However, visual perception has traditionally been studied in stationary subjects, where visual scenes are manipulated by the experimenter. In this project, we will investigate the neural mechanisms for movement-dependent changes in speed perception, using a combination of high-density electrophysiological, optogenetics, and visual psychophysics.


References

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  2. Saleem, A. B., Ayaz, A., Jeffery, K., Harris, K.D. & Carandini, M. (2013) Integration of visual motion and locomotion in the mouse primary visual cortex, Nature Neuroscience, 16(12): 1864-69.
  3. Ayaz, A., Saleem, A. B., Scolvinck, M., Carandini, M. (2013). Locomotion controls spatial integration in mouse visual cortex. Current Biology, 23: 890-894.
  4. Mareschal, I., Clifford, C. W. G., Dynamics of unconscious contextual effects in orientation processing, (2012), PNAS, 109(19):7553-7558.
  5. Mareschal, I., Baker C. L., A cortical locus for processing of contrast-defined contours. Nature Neuroscience     , 1(2), 150-154.

BBSRC Area
Genes, development and STEM* approaches to biology
Area of Biology
NeurobiologyPhysiology
Techniques & Approaches
GeneticsMathematics / StatisticsMicroscopy / Electrophysiology