Spike Synchrony Reveals Emergence of Proto-Objects in Visual Cortex

Spike synchrony reveals emergence of proto-objects in visual cortex.

Neurons at early stages of the visual cortex signal elemental features, such as pieces of contour, but how these signals are organized into perceptual objects is unclear. Theories have proposed that spiking synchrony between these neurons encodes how features are grouped (binding-by-synchrony), but recent studies did not find the predicted increase in synchrony with binding. Here we propose tha...

Figure–ground organization and the emergence of proto-objects in the visual cortex

A long history of studies of perception has shown that the visual system organizes the incoming information early on, interpreting the 2D image in terms of a 3D world and producing a structure that provides perceptual continuity and enables object-based attention. Recordings from monkey visual cortex show that many neurons, especially in area V2, are selective for border ownership. These neuron...

Higher Order Spike Synchrony in Prefrontal Cortex during Visual Memory

Precise temporal synchrony of spike firing has been postulated as an important neuronal mechanism for signal integration and the induction of plasticity in neocortex. As prefrontal cortex plays an important role in organizing memory and executive functions, the convergence of multiple visual pathways onto PFC predicts that neurons should preferentially synchronize their spiking when stimulus in...

Modeling Attention-Induced Reduction of Spike Synchrony in the Visual Cortex

Emergence of population synchrony in a layered network of the cat visual cortex

Recently, a quantitative wiring diagram for the local neuronal network of cat visual cortex was described [T. Binzegger, R.J. Douglas, K.A.C. Martin, A quantitative map of the circuit of the cat primary visual cortex, J. Neurosci. 39 (24) (2004) 8441–8453.] giving the first complete estimate of synaptic connectivity among various types of neurons in different cortical layers. Here we numericall...