9630426 Prechtl The mechanisms by which the cortex mediates the perception and recognition of objects in the environment is an important, but little understood aspect of brain function. Research funded by this grant exploits the technical and behavioral advantages of studying the reptilian brain in order to learn about fundamental cortical mechanisms of perception. In particular, optical methods are used to analyze electrical brain activity in an entire cortical area while the animal perceives a variety of behaviorally relevant visual stimuli. The perceptual interpretation of each visual stimulus is indexed by simultaneously monitoring the response of the animal to the stimulus. The aim is to identify those features of large scale cortical activity that are related to cognitive processes such as recognition and categorization. This research is expect to lead to a deeper understanding of how large-scale electrical activity in animal brains is related to cognitive function.
