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PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The program in Sensory Neuroscience is designed to provide students with the training necessary to conduct research on the sensory aspects of vision and hearing. The faculty members in this area have worked on a wide variety of topics, but their general emphasis has been on the more fundamental mechanisms involved in visual and auditory perception. Students will learn about the behavioral (psychophysical) and physiological techniques best suited for studying sensory mechanisms, and about mathematical modeling of sensory phenomena and systems. A traditional goal of sensory psychology is to explain psychophysical facts in terms of known physiological facts; accordingly, students in the SNS area will be expected to study the literature in both domains. Graduates from SNS will be qualified to work in either academic or industrial settings. Some specific topics of recent or current interest to the faculty in SNS include: binocular cues in vision, perception of texture, processing by neurons in visual cortex, form vision, visual and auditory perceptual organization, otoacoustic emissions from the cochlea, drug effects on the auditory system, and ear and sex differences in hearing. All faculty members in SNS are also members of the campus-wide Institute for Neuroscience, and the vision scientists in SNS are all affiliated with the Center for Perceptual Systems. There exist several fully equipped labs for vision and hearing research.
PARTICIPATING FACULTY
DUANE G. ALBRECHT
The research in the Visual Neuroscience laboratory follows from the long-standing traditions of sensory physiology and psychophysics, with the ultimate goal of understanding sensation and perception. We are investigating the visual system in monkeys, cats, and humans. We want to understand the neurophysiology of the visual system and how it relates to visual perception. To that end, we perform single-neuron electrophysiological experiments: we measure the electrical activity of individual neurons located in the visual cortex of monkeys and cats while systematically varying visual stimuli. These measurements are then quantitatively evaluated within the context of specific theoretical and formal mathematical/computational models.
Courses
Psychology 383M - Fundamentals of Physiological Psychology
Psychology 394 - Physiology and Psychophysics of the Visual System
Psychology 323 - Perception (undergraduate)
Psychology 308 - Biopsychology (undergraduate)
Selected Publications
Frazor, R.A, Albrecht, D.G., Geisler, W.S., & Crane, A.M. (2004) Visual cortex neurons of monkeys and cats: Temporal dynamics of the spatial frequency response function. Journal of Neurophysiology, 91: 2607-2627.
Albrecht, D.G., Geisler, W.S., & Crane, A.M. (2003). In: The Visual Neurosciences, Edited by: L.M. Chalupa & J.S. Werner, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, P. 747-764. Nonlinear properties of visual cortex neurons: Temporal dynamics, stimulus selectivity, neural performance.
Albrecht, D.G., Geisler, W.S., Frazor, R.A, & Crane, A.M. (2002). Visual cortex neurons of monkeys and cats: Temporal dynamics of the contrast response function. Journal of Neurophysiology, 88, 888-913.
Geisler, W.S., Albrecht, D.G., Crane, A.M. and Stern, L. (2001). Motion direction signals in the primary visual cortex of cat and monkey. Visual Neuroscience, 18: 501-516.
Mehta, A.B., Crane, A.M., Rylander III, H.G., Thomsen, S.I. and Albrecht, D.G. (2001). Maintaining the cornea and the general physiological environment in visual neurophysiological experiments. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 109: 153-166.
Heeger, D.G., Huk, A.C., Geisler, W.S. & Albrecht, D.G. (2000). Spikes vs. bold: What does neuroimaging tell us about neural activity. Nature Neuroscience, 3: 631-633.
Geisler, W.S. and Albrecht, D.G. (2000). Spatial vison. In, Handbook of Perception and Cognition, K.K. De Valois (Ed.). New York: Academic Press, pp. 79-128.
Geisler, W.S. and Albrecht, D.G. (1997). Visual cortex neurons in monkeys and cats: Detection, discrimination and identification. Visual Neuroscience, 14: 897-919.
Albrecht, D. G. (1995). Visual cortex neurons in monkey and cat: Effect of contrast on the spatial and temporal phase transfer functions. Visual Neuroscience, 12, 1191-1210.
Geisler, W.S. & Albrecht, D.G. (1995). Bayesian analysis of identification performance in monkey visual cortex: Nonlinear mechanisms and stimulus certainty. Vision Research, 35(19), 2723-2730.
Albrecht D.G. & Geisler, W.S. (1994). Visual cortex neurons in monkey and cat: Contrast response nonlinearities and stimulus selectivity. In Lawton, T. (Ed.) Computational vision based on neurobiology. Bellingham, Wash.:SPIE.
Geisler, W.S. & Albrecht D.G. (1992). Cortical neurons: Isolation of contrast gain control. Vision Research, 32(8), 1409-1410.
Albrecht, D. G., & Geisler, W. S. (1991). Motion selectivity and the contrast response function of simple cells in the visual cortex. Visual Neuroscience, 7, 531-546.
Geisler, W.S., Albrecht D.G., Salvi, R.J., & Saunders, S.S. (1991). Descrimination performance of single neurons: Rate and temporal-pattern information. Journal of Neurophysiology, 66(1), 334-362.
Skottun, B.C, De Valois, R.L., Grosof, D.H., Movshon, J.A., Albrecht D.G., & Bonds, A.B. (1991). Classifying simple and complex cells on the basis of response modulation. Vision Research, 31(7/8), 1079-1086.
LAWRENCE K. CORMACK
Two eyes are better than one. The fact that primates and most predators have two frontally placed eyes allows them to determine the relative three-dimensional positions of objects with a remarkable degree of precision. This ability (stereopsis) is not well understood. Research in our laboratory involves: a) psychophysical studies on human observers, b) comparison of these results with models of optimal performance ("ideal observers") and c) computational modeling of the results in order to uncover the computational strategies and specific algorithms used by the human visual system to obtain stereopsis. Currently, we are trying to clearly demarcate the various processing stages involved in stereopsis based on computational arguments, and developing psychophysical tasks to selectively target these stages of processing.
Long-term goals include, but are not limited to, integrating algorithms for stereopsis with a biologically plausible monocular "front-end," integrating or reconciling models of binocular contrast summation with models of stereopsis, and comparing the sensory processes underlying stereopsis with those underlying vergence eye movements.
The laboratory is Macintosh- and PC-based. Special-purpose hardware includes Cambridge Research Systems video display equipped with 12-bit DACs and high-speed LCD binocular shutters, and an SRI dual-purkinje binocular eye tracker with binocular X-Y stimulus deflectors. Experiments are run using software that is developed here (mostly in "C"). Data analysis and modeling are done with a combination of in-house and third-party software.
Courses
Selected Publications
U. Rajashekar, T. Arnow, A.C. Bovik, and L. K. Cormack (2006) Gaze-centric image analysis for efficient visual search. SPIE Newsroom. [Online]. Available: http://newsroom.spie.org/x3117.xml?highlight=x533
A. Tavassoli, I. van der Linde, , A.C. Bovik & L.K. Cormack, (in press) Accelerated Classification Images: A Fast Method for Revealing Features Used in Visual Search Tasks, Perception & Psychophysics.
Rajashekar U.,. Bovik, A.C. & Cormack, L.K (2006) Visual search in noise: Revealing the influence of structural cues by gaze-contingent classification image analysis. Journal of Vision Volume 6, Number 4, Article 7, Pages 379-386
Cormack, L. K. (2005) Mathematical models of human vision. In A. C. Bovik (Ed.), Handbook of Image and Video Processing. Second Edition. Academic Press: New York.
H. R. Sheikh, A. C. Bovik, and L. K. Cormack, (2005) No-Reference Quality Assessment using Natural Scene Statistics: JPEG2000. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing.
Rajashekar U., Cormack, L.K. & Bovik, A.C. (2004) Point of gaze analysis reveals visual search strategies. Human Vision and Electronic Imaging IX, Proc. of SPIE, Vol: 5292.
Stevenson, S. B. & Cormack, L. K. (2000). A contrast paradox in stereopsis, motion perception, and vernier acuity. Vision Research 40, 2881-2884.
WILSON S. GEISLER
Bill Geisler received his Ph.D. from the Indiana University before coming to the University of Texas. He is director of the Center for Perceptual Systems, holder of the David Wechsler Regents Chair in Psychology, a member of the Institute for Neuroscience and on the faculty of the Biomedical Engineering Program. Geisler has broad interests within the general areas of vision, visual perception and the evolution of perceptual systems. In his lab, scientific questions are often attacked with multiple techniques: psychophysics (behavior), neurophysiology (in collaboration with Professors Albrecht and Seidemann), image and scene analysis, and mathematical and computational modeling. Current projects are concerned with perceptual grouping, visual search, natural scene statistics, and the neurophysiology of primary visual cortex.
Courses
Psychology 380E - Vision Systems (taught every Spring semester)
Psychology 387N - Fundamentals of Perception (team-taught with D. McFadden)
Psychology 323 - Introduction to Perception (undergraduate)
Selected Publications
Mante et al (2005) Independence of luminance and contrast in natural scenes and in the early visual system. Nature Neuroscience, 8 (12) 1690-1697.
Raj, R., Geisler, W.S., Frazor, R.A. & Bovik, A.C. (2005) Contrast statistics for foveated visual systems: Fixation selection by minimizing contrast entropy. Journal of the Optical Society of America A., 22 (10) 2039-2049.
Najemnik, J. and Geisler, W.S. (2005) Optimal eye movement strategies in visual search. Nature, 434, 387-391. Supplementary information
Tversky, T., Geisler, W.S. and Perry, J.S. (2004) Contour grouping: Closure effects are explained by good continuation and proximity. Vision Research, 44, 2769-2777.
Frazor, R.A., Albrecht, D.G., Geisler, W.S. and Crane, A.M. (2004)Visual cortex neurons of monkeys and cats: Temporal dynamics of the spatial frequency response function. Journal of Neurophysiology, 91, 2607-2627.
Geisler, W. & Murray, R. (2003) Practice doesn't make perfect. Nature, 423, 696-697.
Geisler, W. S. (2003) Ideal Observer analysis. In: L. Chalupa and J. Werner (Eds.), The Visual Neurosciences. Boston: MIT press, 825-837.
Albrecht, D. G., Geisler, W.S. and Crane, A.M. (2003) Nonlinear properties of visual cortex neurons: Temporal dynamics, stimulus selectivity, neural performance. In: L. Chalupa and J. Werner (Eds.), the Visual Neurosciences. Boston: MIT Press, 747-764.
Geisler, W. S. and Diehl, R.L. (2003) A Bayesian approach to the evolution of perceptual and cognitive systems. Cognitive Science, 27, 379-402.
Albrecht, D. G., Geisler, W.S., Frazor, R. A. and Crane, A.M. (2002) Visual cortex neurons in monkeys and cats: Temporal dynamics of the contrast response function. Journal of Neurophysiology, 88: 889-913.
Geisler, W. S. and Kersten, D. (2002) Illusions, perception and Bayes. Nature Neuroscience, 5, 508-510.
Geisler, W. S. and Perry, J.S. (2002) Real-time simulation of arbitrary visual fields. Proceedings of the Eye Tracking Research & Applications Symposium (ACM) 83-87.
Perry, J.S. and Geisler, W. S. (2002) Gaze-contingent real-time simulation of arbitrary visual fileds. In: B. Rogowitz and T. Pappas (Eds.), Human Vision and Electronic Imaging, SPIE Proceedings.
Geisler, W.S. and Diehl, R.L. (2002) Bayesian Natural Selection and the Evolution of Perceptual Systems. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 357, 419-448.
Geisler, W. S., Albrecht, D. G., Crane, A.M. and Stern, L. (2001) Motion Direction Signals in the Primary Visual Cortex of Cat and Monkey. Visual Neuroscience, 18, 501-516.
Geisler, W. S., Perry, J.S., Super, B. J. and Gallogly, D. P. (2001) Edge co-occurrence in natural images predicts contour grouping performance. Vision Research, 41, 711-724.
Geisler, W.S. and Super, B.J. (2000) Perceptual organization of two-dimensional patterns. Psychological Review, 107 (4) 677-708.
Geisler, W.S., Thornton, T., Gallogly, D. P. and Perry, J.S. (2000) Image structure models of texture and contour visibility. Proceedings of he NATO Workshop on Search and Target Acquisition, The Netherlands, 21-23 June 1999.
Geisler, W. S. and Albrecht, D. G. (2000) Spatial vision: Single neurons and perception. Chapter for the Handbook of Cognition and Perception. New York: Academic Press.
Heeger, D.G., Huk, A., Geisler, W.S. and Albrecht, D. G. (2000) Spikes vs. Bold: What does neuroimaging tell us about neural activity? Nature Neuroscience, 3, 631-633.
Geisler, W.S. (1999) Motion streaks provide a spatial code for motion direction. Nature, 400, 65-69.
Geisler, W.S. and Perry, J.S. (1999) Variable resolution displays for visual communications and simulation. Society for Information Display Technical Digest, 30, 420-423.
Geisler, W. S. and Albrecht, D. G. (1997) Visual cortex neurons in monkeys and cats: Detection, discrimination and identification. Visual Neuroscience, 14, 897-919.
Arnow, T. L. and Geisler, W. S. (1996) Visual detection following retinal damage:Predictions of an inhomogeneous retino-cortical model. SPIE, vol.2674, 119-130.
W. S. Geisler and B. J. Super, Perceptual organization of two-dimensional patterns. Technical Report: UT-CVIS-96-002, Austin, Texas: Center for Vision and Image Sciences (1996).
MARY HAYHOE
Vision naturally occurs in the context of voluntary information gathering movements involving the eyes, head, and hand. However, much work in vision is dominated by trying to understand the events occurring within a single view of a scene, and we have only limited understanding of the consequences of eye and head movements for vision and visuo-motor coordination. The technology to look at performance in more natural circumstances now exists, and I am currently developing a human sensory-motor lab, in collaboration with Dana Ballard in Computer Science, for measuring unconstrained eye, head, and hand movements in the performance of natural tasks, and for developing a virtual reality display to allow controlled but visually complex stimulation. We also have the capability of providing force feedback for two finger grasping. The new instrumentation allows a large range of experiments not previously possible. My objective is to understand the demands placed on vision and motor systems by natural behavior and the nature of the representations that are required for visually guided tasks.
Courses
UNDERGRADUATE:
PSY 341K-Seeing and Acting in a Virtual World
GRADUATE:
PSY 394U, Perception and Action
PSY 394U, Intro to Cognitive Science
Selected Publications
Jovancevic, J., Sullivan, B., & Hayhoe, M. (in press) Control of attention and gaze in complex environments. Journal of Vision.
Hayhoe, M., Mannie, N., Sullivan, B., & Gorgos, K. (in press) The role of internal models and prediction in catching balls. Proceedings of AAAI, Fall 2005.
Droll, J.A., Hayhoe, M.M., Triesch, J., & Sullivan, Brian T. (2005) Task demands control acquisition and storage of visual information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 3(6), 1416-1438.
Aivar, M.P., Hayhoe, M.M., Chizk, C.L. & Mruczek, R.E.B. (2005) Spatial memory and saccadic targeting in a natural task. Journal of Vision, 4, pp. 1-3.
Hayhoe M. & Ballard, D. (2005) Eye movements in natural behavior. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, 9(4), 188-193.
Hayhoe, M. Integrating information across saccadic eye movements. In Peterson, M.A., Gillam, B., Sedgwick, H.A. Mental Structure in Visual Perception: Julian Hochberg's Contributions to Our Understanding of the Perception of Pictures, Film, and the World. NY: Oxford University Press. (in press, expected publication: 2005).
Hayhoe, M.M. (2004). Advances in relating eye movements and cognition. Infancy, 6(2), pp. 267-274.
Triesch, J., Ballard, D., Hayhoe, M., & Sullivan, B. (2003). What you see is what you need. Journal of Vision, 3, 86-94.
Shimozaki, S., Zelinsky, G., Hayhoe, H., Merigan, W., & Ballard, D. (2003). Spatial memory and saccade targeting deficits from parietal injury. Neuropsychologia, 41, pp. 1365-1386.
Hayhoe, M.M., Shrivastava, A., Mruczek, R., & Pelz, J.B. (2003). Visual memory and motor planning in a natural task. Journal of Vision, 3(1), 49-63.
Hayhoe, M. (2002) Visual short term memory and motor control. The Brain's Eyes: Neurobiological and Clinical Aspects of Oculomotor Research. Jukka Hy?n?, Doug Munoz, Wolfgang Heide, & Ralph Radach (eds). Progress in Brain Research, 140, Elsevier. 349-363.
Hayhoe, M., Ballard, D., Triesch, J., & Shinoda, H. (2002). Vision in natural and virtual environments. Proceedings, Eye Tracking Research & Application, 7-13.
Rao, R., Zelinsky, G., Hayhoe, M., & Ballard, D. (2002). Eye movements in iconic visual search. Vision Research, 42(11), 1447-1463.
Triesch, J., Sullivan, B., Hayhoe, M., & Ballard, D. (2002). Saccade contingent scene changes in unconstrained virtual reality. Proceedings, Eye Tracking Research & Application, 95-102.
Land, M., & Hayhoe, M. (2001). In what ways do eye movements contribute to everyday activities? Vision Research, special issue on Eye Movements and vision in the Natural World, 41, 3559-3566.
Pelz, J., Hayhoe, M., & Loeber, R. (2001). The coordination of eye, head, and hand movements in a natural task. Experimental Brain Research, 139(3), 266-277.
Shinoda, H., Hayhoe, M., & Shrivastava, A. (2001). What controls attention in natural environments? Vision Research, special issue on Eye Movements and Vision in the Natural World, 41, 3535-3546.
Hayhoe, M. (2000) Visual routines: a functional account of vision. Visual Cognition, special issue on Change Blindness, 7, 43-64.
Karn, K., & Hayhoe, M. (2000). Memory representations guide targeting eye movements in a natural task. Visual Cognition, 7(6), 673-704.
Hayhoe, M., Bensinger, D., & Ballard, D. (1998). Task constraints in visual working memory. Vision Research, 38, 125-137.
Ballard, D., Hayhoe, M., Pook, P., & Rao, R. (1997). Deictic codes for the embodiment of cognition. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 20, 723-767.
Karn, K., Moeller, P., & Hayhoe, M. (1997). Reference frames in saccade targeting. Experimental Brain Research, 115, 267-282.
Zelinsky, G., Rao, R., Hayhoe, M., & Ballard, D. (1997). Eye movements reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of visual search. Psychological Science, 8, 448-453.
Rao, R., Zelinsky, G., Hayhoe, M., & Ballard, D. (1996). Modelling saccade targeting in visual search. In D. Touretzky, M. Mozer, & M. Hasselmo (Eds). Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 8, pp. 830-836. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Smeets, J., Hayhoe, M., & Ballard, D. (1996). Influence of hand movements on eye-head coordination. Experimental Brain Research, 109, 434-440.
Ballard, D., Hayhoe, M., & Pelz, J. (1995). Memory representations in natural tasks. Cognitive Neuroscience, 7, 66-80.
Lachter, J., & Hayhoe, M. (1995). Capacity limitations in memory for visual locations. Perception, 24, 1427-1441.
Pelz, J., & Hayhoe, M. (1995). Influence of the visual scene in visual direction constancy. Vision Research, 35, 2267-2275.
DENNIS MCFADDEN
The goal of our research is to better understand how the auditory system works. In the past, we have studied a number of basic topics including the localization of sound sources in space, simultaneous and temporal masking of one sound by another, frequency and temporal resolution, loudness perception, acoustic emissions given off by the inner ear, the effects and aftereffects of intense sound on auditory perception of various sorts, the effects of common drugs on the auditory system, and the interactions of drugs and noise exposure. In recent times, we have been concerned with the processing underlying certain complex waveforms that have characteristics similar to those of speech and music, and we have been studying various effects that appear to be related to neural adaptation in the auditory system. Other recent experiments have addressed the issue of the heritability of certain characteristics of the auditory system. Whenever possible, we attempt to explain our results in terms of facts established by neurophysiologists working on the auditory systems of lower animals using similar acoustic stimulation. In a typical experiment, crews of 6-8 subjects are tested simultaneously for two hours a day, five days a week for several weeks. Signal presentation, trial timing, and response collection are accomplished by a Macintosh Quadra 950 computer equipped with a digital-signal-processing board and running LabVIEW software. The lab contains all of the standard instrumentation used for generating and measuring acoustic stimuli along with several PowerMac, Quadra, and Mac II computers for use in data analysis, graphics, and word processing.
Courses
Psychology 394U - Psychoacoustics (taught each Spring semester)
Psychology 387N - Fundamentals of Perception (team-taught with W.S. Geisler)
Psychology 323-Perception (undergraduate; team-taught with W.S. Geisler)
Psychology 458 - Experimental Psychology (undergraduate)
Selected Publications
McFadden, D., Westhafer, J.G., Pasanen, E.G., Carlson, C.L., and Tucker, D.M. (in press) Physiological evidence of hypermasculinization in boys with the inattentive subtype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Clinical Neuroscience Research.
McFadden, D., Loehlin, J.C., Breedlove, S.M., Lippa, R.A., Manning, J.T. and Rahman, Q. (in press) A reanalysis of five studies on sexual orientation and the relative length of the 2nd and 4th fingers (the 2D:4D ratio). Archives of Sexual Behavior.
McFadden, D. and Bracht, M.S. (2005) Sex differences in the relative lengths of metacarpals and metatarsals in gorillas and chimpanzees. Hormones and Behavior, 47, 99-111.
Pasanen, E.G., and McFadden, D. (2004) Collecting data from afar over the Internet. Echoes, 14, 8.
Loehlin, J.C. and McFadden, D. (2003) Otoacoustic emissions, auditory evoked potentials, and traits related to sex and sexual orientation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 115-127.
McFadden, D. and Shubel, E. (2003) The relationships between otoacoustic emissions and relative lengths of fingers and toes in humans. Hormones and Behavior, 43, 421-429.
McFadden, D., and Bracht, M.S. (2003) The relative lengths and weights of metacarpals and metatarsals in baboons (Papio hamadryas). Hormones and Behavior, 43, 347-355.
McFadden, D. and Shubel, E. (2002) Relative lengths of fingers and toes in human males and females. Hormones and Behavior, 42, 492-500.
McFadden, D. (2002) Masculinization effects in the auditory system. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 93-105.
McFadden, D. (2001) Otoacoustic emissions as a window onto prenatal development and sexual differentiation. Seminars in Hearing, 22, 347-360.
Harkrider, A.W., Champlin, C.A., and McFadden, D. (2001) Acute effect of nicotine on nonsmokers: In. OAEs and ABRs. Hearing Research, 160, 73-88.
Pasanen, E.G. and McFadden, D. (2000) An automated procedure for identifying spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 108, 1105-1116.
McFadden, D. and Champlin, C.A. (2000) Comparison of auditory evoked potentials in heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual males and females. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 1, 89-99.
McFadden, D. (2000) Masculinizing effects on otoacoustic emissions and auditory evoked potentials in women using oral contraceptives. Hearing Research, 142, 23-33.
McFadden, D. and Pasanen, E.G. (1999) Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in heterosexuals, homosexuals, and bisexuals. J. Acoust. Soc. Am.,, 105, 2403-2413.
McFadden, D. and Callaway, N.L. (1999) Better discrimination of small changes in commonly encountered than in less commonly encountered stimuli. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 25, 543-560.
McFadden, D., Pasanen, E.G., and Callaway, N.L. (1998) Changes in otoacoustic emissions in a transsexual male during treatment with estrogen. J. Acoust. Soc. Am, 104, 1555-1558.
McFadden, D. and Loehlin, J.C. (1995) On the heritability of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions: A twins study. Hearing Research, 85, 181-198.
McFadden, D., Loehlin, J.C. and Pasanen, E.G. (1996) Additional findings on heritability and prenatal masculinization of cochlear mechanisms: Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Hearing Research, 97, 102-119.
EYAL SEIDEMANN
Eyal Seidemann received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University. He studies the cortical mechanisms that mediate visual perception and visually guided behavior. In his own words: the central goal of my research is to understand how perceptual events and motor plans are represented and processed in the primate cerebral cortex. To address these questions, we employ a novel combination of optical imaging and electrophysiological techniques in awake, behaving primates. Our ability to record optically from the cortex of alert animals puts us in a unique position; it allows us to directly visualize cortical activity in real-time, while subjects perform demanding perceptual or motor tasks. We then build computational models that attempt to explain how the measured neural activity could lead to the observed behavior. Finally, we test the predictions of these quantitative models by measuring how perceptual judgments or motor plans change following selective manipulations of the neural response using electrical microstimulation or pharmacological microinjections.
Courses
Psychology 394U - Topics in vision and hearing
Psychology 394U - Topics in systems neuroscience
Bio365R - Vertebrate physiology I (Introduction to neurobiology)
Selected Publications
Dynamics of depolarization and hyperpolarization in the frontal cortex and saccade goal. E. Seidemann, A. Arieli, A. Grinvald, H. Slovin. Science 2002 Feb 1;295(5556):862-5.
Color signals in area MT of the macaque monkey. E. Seidemann, A. B. Poirson, B. A. Wandell, W.T. Newsome. Neuron. 1999 Dec;24(4):911-7.
Motion opponency in visual cortex. D.J. Heeger, G.M. Boynton, J.B. Demb, E. Seidemann, W.T.Newsome. J Neurosci. 1999 Aug 15;19(16):7162-74.
Effect of spatial attention on the responses of area MT neurons. E. Seidemann, W.T. Newsome. J Neurophysiol. 1999 Apr;81(4):1783-94.
Temporal gating of neural signals during performance of a visual Discrimination task. E. Seidemann, E. Zohary, W.T. Newsome. Nature. 1998 Jul 2;394(6688):72-5.
Simultaneously recorded single units in the frontal cortex go through sequences of Discrete and stable states in monkeys performing a delayed localization task. E. Seidemann, H. Bergman, E. Vaadia M. Abeles. J Neurosci. 1996 Jan 15;16(2):752-68.
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