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Perceptual learning and top-down influences in primary visual cortex

Nature Neuroscience volume 7, pages 651–657 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Neuronal responses at early stages in visual cortical processing, including those in primary visual cortex (V1), are subject to the influences of visual context, experience and attention. Here we show that for monkeys trained in a shape discrimination task, V1 neurons took on novel functional properties related to the attributes of the trained shapes. Furthermore, these properties depended on the perceptual task being performed; neurons responded very differently to an identical visual stimulus under different visual discrimination tasks. These top-down influences were seen from the very beginning and throughout the entire time course of the neural responses. Information theoretic analysis showed that neurons carried more information about a stimulus attribute when the animals were performing a task related to that attribute. Our findings suggest that the output from V1 reflects both sensory and behavioral context.

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Figure 1: Stimulus and behavior paradigms.
Figure 2: Task modulation of side-flank offset tuning.
Figure 3: Task modulation of end-flank offset tuning.
Figure 4: Population analysis of the task-related effect (n = 51).
Figure 5: Effects of spatial attention.
Figure 6: The color change had no significant effect on flank offset tuning function.
Figure 7: Population analysis of the timing of task-related effect.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by US National Institutes of Health grant EY07968. We are grateful to K. Matsuda for generously sharing the eye tracking software and G. Reeke for valuable comments on the data analysis with information theory. We also thank J. Jones, K. Hazleton and N. Lingenhol for technical assistance.

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  1. The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Wu Li, Valentin Piëch, Charles D Gilbert & Charles D Gilbert

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  1. Wu Li
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  3. Charles D Gilbert
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Correspondence to Charles D Gilbert.

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Li, W., Piëch, V. & Gilbert, C. Perceptual learning and top-down influences in primary visual cortex. Nat Neurosci 7, 651–657 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1255

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