A great deal of evidence supports the notion that visual perception and visually guided behaviors are affected by our predictions about the non-random behavior and interdependencies of objects in the visual world. Previous studies have shown that posterior parietal cortex neurons in area LIP of the monkey can convey predictive signals about the upcoming direction of simple motion (in one dimension) when it was expected by the animal. However, critical issues remain unanswered concerning the mechanisms by which predictive signals develop during learning, the nature of predicted information (i.e. spatial vs. temporal) and how that information is used during visually guided behavior. We propose to address these issues by utilizing a novel behavioral paradigm in which monkeys learn to predict upcoming movements of a target that can follow complex two dimensional trajectories. By recording from neurons in LIP while monkeys learn to predict complex motion paths, we expect to gain substantial insights into the neuronal mechanisms that underlie visual prediction and learning and, further, a more detailed understanding of the nature of spatial information encoded in LIP.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32EY015340-03
Application #
6983373
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F02B (20))
Program Officer
Oberdorfer, Michael
Project Start
2003-12-01
Project End
2006-11-30
Budget Start
2005-12-01
Budget End
2006-11-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$51,548
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
047006379
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Murray, John D; Bernacchia, Alberto; Freedman, David J et al. (2014) A hierarchy of intrinsic timescales across primate cortex. Nat Neurosci 17:1661-3
Fitzgerald, Jamie K; Freedman, David J; Fanini, Alessandra et al. (2013) Biased associative representations in parietal cortex. Neuron 77:180-91