Unsupervised natural experience rapidly alters invariant object representation in visual cortex.

Full Abstract

Object recognition is challenging because each object produces myriad retinal images. Responses of neurons from the inferior temporal cortex (IT) are selective to different objects, yet tolerant ("invariant") to changes in object position, scale, and pose. How does the brain construct this neuronal tolerance? We report a form of neuronal learning that suggests the underlying solution. Targeted alteration of the natural temporal contiguity of visual experience caused specific changes in IT position tolerance. This unsupervised temporal slowness learning (UTL) was substantial, increased with experience, and was significant in single IT neurons after just 1 hour. Together with previous theoretical work and human object perception experiments, we speculate that UTL may reflect the mechanism by which the visual stream builds and maintains tolerant object representations.

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Author information

Author/s: Li, Nuo (N); DiCarlo, James J (JJ);

Affiliation: McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Grants: R01-EY014970 (Agency:United States NEI)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Science (New York, N.Y.) (Science), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Sep; vol 321 (issue 5895) : pp 1502-7

Dates: Created 2008/09/12; Completed 2008/09/25;

PMID: 18787171, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Neuronal Plasticity
Neurons - physiology
Saccades
Temporal Lobe - physiology
Visual Cortex - physiology
Visual Perception

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