Visual Feature Integration and the Temporal Correlation Hypothesis

Singer, Wolf; Gray, Charles M.

doi:10.1146/annurev.ne.18.030195.003011

Cited by 2,868 publications

(1,183 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…Our conclusion is consistent with models of binding in which extrinsically activated neural mechanisms resonate to spatio-temporal coherence among local features comprising a global object or event (6,10). It has also been proposed that visual features lacking externally imposed temporal structure can be grouped by virtue of internal generation of synchronized activity (22,23), although that idea is controversial (24, 25). We stress that our data have no direct bearing on the efficacy of internally generated neural oscillations, although it is Original pictures were filtered to produce HP images (all low spatial frequencies removed) and LP images (all high spatial frequencies removed); LP and HP filter cutoff values (3 dB) were separated by 1.5 octaves and, at the 1.07 m viewing distance, corresponded to 2.35 c͞deg and 6.57 c͞deg; these LP and HP values were selected to promote activation of separate populations of spatially frequency-tuned neurons.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Spatial and temporal coherence in perceptual binding

Blake

Yang

1997

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Component visual features of objects are registered by distributed patterns of activity among neurons comprising multiple pathways and visual areas. How these distributed patterns of activity give rise to unified representations of objects remains unresolved, although one recent, controversial view posits temporal coherence of neural activity as a binding agent. Motivated by the possible role of temporal coherence in feature binding, we devised a novel psychophysical task that requires the detection of temporal coherence among features comprising complex visual images. Results show that human observers can more easily detect synchronized patterns of temporal contrast modulation within hybrid visual images composed of two components when those components are drawn from the same original picture. Evidently, time-varying changes within spatially coherent features produce more salient neural signals.Early vision entails local feature analyses of the retinal image carried out in parallel over the entire visual field. By virtue of the receptive-field properties of the neurons performing this analysis, visual information is registered at multiple spatial scales, ranging from coarse to fine, for different contour orientations (1-3). Moreover, different qualitative aspects of the visual scene engage populations of neurons distributed among numerous, distinct visual areas (4, 5). Yet we perceive objects whose constituent features are, at least metaphorically speaking, bound together coherently. One popular but controversial hypothesis posits as a binding agent temporal synchronization of neural activity among cortical cells registering object features (6-11). In experiments reported here, we have discovered that synchronized modulations over time in the contrast of separate components of complex images are easier to detect when those components form a meaningful object. These findings are compatible with the notion that temporal and spatial coherence are involved in the promotion of perceptual binding.Several recent experiments have tried to assess whether patterns of neural activity coincident in time promote perceptual grouping, by determining whether visual features flickering in temporal synchrony more readily promote figure͞ ground segregation. Results from those experiments, however, have led to contradictory conclusions (12-14). To pursue this question of figural binding from a complementary perspective, we tested for enhanced detectability of temporal synchrony among spatial features that define a visual object. To understand the rationale for our study, imagine a picture composed of two components each selected to activate separate populations of visual neurons. Suppose further that the contrast of each component can be independently varied over time (Fig. 1), with the temporal pattern of contrast modulations of the components being either identical (i.e., synchronized) or uncorrelated (i.e., unsynchronized). Physiological work (16)(17)(18) shows that fluctuations in contrast amplitude over time will evo...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Spatial and temporal coherence in perceptual binding

Blake

Yang

1997

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…One well-known mechanism that may underlie perceptual grouping is suggested by the temporal correlation hypothesis (Singer & Gray, 1995;von der Malsburg, 1981) which holds that synchrony in neural populations serves as a binding code for information in different parts of cortex. Grouping may be mediated by synchronization of activity between neurons representing different elements of a group.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Groupingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although some neurophysiological recordings in animals (e.g., Castelo-Branco, Goebel, Neuenschwander, & Singer, 2000;Singer & Gray, 1995) and EEG recordings in humans (e.g., Tallon- -Baudry, 2006) have supported this idea, it remains a controversial hypothesis (e.g., Lamme & Spekreijse, 1998;Roelfsema, Lamme, & Spekreijse, 2004). Much of that evidence applies to limited types of grouping such as collinearity/continuity (e.g., Singer & Gray, 1995) or formation of illusory contours based on these features (e.g., Tallon-Baudry & Bertrand, 1999). It is not clear whether synchrony can serve as a general mechanism to explain a wider array of grouping phenomena, especially those not based on image features.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Groupingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional and New Principles of Perceptual Grouping

Brooks

2014

Oxford Handbooks Online

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Perceptual grouping refers to the process of determining which regions and parts of the visual scene belong together as parts of higher order perceptual units such as objects or patterns. In the early 20 th century, Gestalt psychologists identified a set of classic grouping principles which specified how some image features lead to grouping between elements given that all other factors were held constant. Modern vision scientists have expanded this list to cover a wide range of image features but have also expanded the importance of learning and other non-image factors. Unlike early Gestalt accounts which were based largely on visual demonstrations, modern theories are often explicitly quantitative and involve detailed models of how various image features modulate grouping. Work has also been done to understand the rules by which different grouping principles integrate to form a final percept. This chapter gives an overview of the classic principles, modern developments in understanding them, and new principles and the evidence for them. There is also discussion of some of the larger theoretical issues about grouping such as at what stage of visual processing it occurs and what types of neural mechanisms may implement grouping principles.

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“…10) The synchronous activities were believed to play an important role during neuronal development, 11) migration, 12) and information processing. 13) Oscillatory synchrony has been implicated in several cognitive functions including feature binding and scene segmentation, 14) memory formation and recall, 15) and attention. 16) Moreover, it has been reported that synchronization processes are associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, 17) schizophrenia, 18) dementia, 19) and Parkinson's disease.…”

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confidence: 99%

Neuroprotective Effect of Piperine on Primarily Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Sun

Zuo

2010

Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin

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It was previously reported that piperine (PIP) significantly blocks convulsions induced by intracerebroventricular injection of threshold doses of kainate, but had no or only slight effects on convulsions induced by L-glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate and guanidinosuccinate. In traditional Chinese medicine, black pepper has been used for epileptic treatment; however, the exact mechanism is still unclear. We reported here in that appropriate concentration of PIP effectively inhibites the synchronized oscillation of intracellular calcium in rat hippocampal neuronal networks and represses spontaneous synaptic activities in terms of spontaneous synaptic currents (SSC) and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSC). Moreover, pretreatment with PIP expects protective effect on glutamate-induced decrease of cell viability and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. These data suggest that the neuroprotective effects of PIP might be associated with suppression of synchronization of neuronal networks, presynaptic glutamic acid release, and Ca 2؉ overloading.

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Visual Feature Integration and the Temporal Correlation Hypothesis

Cited by 2,868 publications

References 109 publications

Spatial and temporal coherence in perceptual binding

Spatial and temporal coherence in perceptual binding

Traditional and New Principles of Perceptual Grouping

Neuroprotective Effect of Piperine on Primarily Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

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