Visual processing of informative multipoint correlations arises primarily in V2

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Abstract

Using the visual system as a model, we recently showed that the efficient coding principle accounted for the allocation of computational resources in central sensory processing: when sampling an image is the main limitation, resources are devoted to compute the statistical features that are the most variable, and therefore the most informative (eLife 2014;3:e03722. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.03722(Hermundstad et al., 2014)). Building on these results, we use single-unit recordings in the macaque monkey to determine where these computations - sensitivity to specific multipoint correlations - occur. We find that these computations take place in visual area V2, primarily in its supragranular layers. The demonstration that V2 neurons are sensitive to the multipoint correlations that are informative about natural images provides a common computational underpinning for diverse but well-recognized aspects of neural processing in V2, including its sensitivity to corners, junctions, illusory contours, figure/ground, and 'naturalness.'

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Yunguo Yu

Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Anita M Schmid

Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Jonathan D Victor

Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States

For correspondence
jdvicto@med.cornell.edu

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Ethics

Animal experimentation: This study was performed in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. All animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Weill Cornell Medical College, protocol 0810-795A.

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.