The idea that vision is an active process has recently attracted considerable interest. Nowhere is the active nature of perception more evident than in the construction of a stable image of the world. As we move our eyes, new images are constantly presented to the brain yet we perceive the world as staying still. The perception stability we experience is thought to depend on a convergence of visual signals and corollary discharges reflecting the generation of voluntary eye movements. The goal of these experiments is to understand the impact of motor action on sensory processing as it relates to spatial constancy. We will ask how a specific motor act, saccadic eye movement, affects the representation of visual stimuli in primate cortex. Neurons in monkey parietal cortex have been shown to remap the presentation of a visual stimulus when the eyes move. This surprising observation has raised numerous questions about the neural mechanism underlying spatial constancy. The proposed experiments are designed to characterize the impact of the behavioral relevance of the stimulus on remapping (Aim 1); to discovered whether similar phenomena occur at earlier stages of the visual hierarchy (Aim 2); to determine how visual information is remapped from one hemisphere to the other (Aim 3); and to explore the interactions among frontal and parietal cortical stages which may underlie the process of updating spatial representations (Aim 4). Findings from these studies will provide a deeper understanding of the natural of spatial representation in cortex. Such an understanding is necessary as a step towards designing scientifically based diagnostics and rehabilitation programs for patients who have impair spatial functioning as a result of parietal lobe damage.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY012032-02
Application #
2888598
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Project Start
1998-05-01
Project End
2003-04-30
Budget Start
1999-05-01
Budget End
2000-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
053785812
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Hall, Nathan; Colby, Carol (2014) S-cone visual stimuli activate superior colliculus neurons in old world monkeys: implications for understanding blindsight. J Cogn Neurosci 26:1234-56
Subramanian, Janani; Colby, Carol L (2014) Shape selectivity and remapping in dorsal stream visual area LIP. J Neurophysiol 111:613-27
Hall, Nathan; Colby, Carol (2013) Psychophysical definition of S-cone stimuli in the macaque. J Vis 13:
Dunn, Catherine A; Hall, Nathan J; Colby, Carol L (2010) Spatial updating in monkey superior colliculus in the absence of the forebrain commissures: dissociation between superficial and intermediate layers. J Neurophysiol 104:1267-85
Dunn, Catherine A; Colby, Carol L (2010) Representation of the ipsilateral visual field by neurons in the macaque lateral intraparietal cortex depends on the forebrain commissures. J Neurophysiol 104:2624-33
Berman, Rebecca; Colby, Carol (2009) Attention and active vision. Vision Res 49:1233-48
Berman, Rebecca A; Heiser, Laura M; Dunn, Catherine A et al. (2007) Dynamic circuitry for updating spatial representations. III. From neurons to behavior. J Neurophysiol 98:105-21
Merriam, Elisha P; Genovese, Christopher R; Colby, Carol L (2007) Remapping in human visual cortex. J Neurophysiol 97:1738-55
Heiser, Laura M; Colby, Carol L (2006) Spatial updating in area LIP is independent of saccade direction. J Neurophysiol 95:2751-67
Heiser, Laura M; Berman, Rebecca A; Saunders, Richard C et al. (2005) Dynamic circuitry for updating spatial representations. II. Physiological evidence for interhemispheric transfer in area LIP of the split-brain macaque. J Neurophysiol 94:3249-58

Showing the most recent 10 out of 15 publications