ProactionPerception · From oculomotor action to perception

From oculomotor action to perception

"------------------------------------------------------------- What is the problem/issue being addressed? ------------------------------------------------------------- The proposed scientific project addressed a gap in our current knowledge in neuroscience linking sensory physiology and motor behaviour to active perception: animals, including humans, disambiguate between motion in the environment and self-movement using corollary discharge, proprioceptive signals and reafferent sensory input. These signals can also be used to influence information acquisition to optimize sensory processing. We explored the links between oculomotor action and perception to understand how eye movements reshape processing in the early visual system. ------------------------------------------- Why is it important for society? ------------------------------------------- The present project seeks to establish links between sensory neural circuits and perceptual functions, on the one hand, and infer possible central neural mechanisms mediating the impact of goal directed eye movements on low-level visual perception, on the other hand. Perception linked to action in this manner constitutes ‘active vision’ which, because humans are largely ‘visuals animals’, is of primary importance to our behaviour in our everyday lives. A better knowledge of this phenomenon is relevant to improve our understanding of the visual system and to the study of all sensory systems in general. It will also be relevant for a deeper understanding of information processing algorithms, including the value of internal predictive paradigms, used throughout the brain. -------------------------------------------- What are the overall objectives? -------------------------------------------- In the present project, we explored the links between oculomotor action and perception, focusing on the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms because the gap in our current knowledge in this regard was preventing the advancement of the field. Our specific aims are: AIM #1: Study the impact of reafference (retinal signals) in the response of early visual neurons to visual input. AIM #2: Understand the role horizontal connections in early visual cortex play in processing global motion and flow. AIM #3: Confirm our hypotheses about the impact of oculomotor signals in the early visual cortex and the role of horizontal connections by studying the perceptual consequences associated with the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. Our overall long-term goal is to understand how motor control may shape sensory input to the brain by acting as a dynamic perceptual filter. "

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз