【明日报告2】On sensing what’s not there

学术报告

【主题】On sensing what’s not there

【时间】2018年10月24日（周三），15:00-16:00

【地点】北京大学王克桢楼1113会议室

【报告人】Dr. Andrew Welchman

Reader in Computational & Cognitive Neuroscience

Department of Psychology

University of Cambridge

【邀请人】李晟 研究员

Abstract

How do we perceive the world around us? Traditionally, we conceive of sensory neurons as ‘feature detectors’ that indicate the presence of particular objects in the environment. Plucking an apple from a nearby tree, for instance, may involve a hierarchy of neural detectors that start with simple features (e.g., oriented edges in V1) and build up to complex feature conjunctions (e.g., ‘apple detectors’ in the inferotemporal cortex). In this talk, I will suggest an alternative approach, based on optimal information encoding, that mixes feature detection with proscription: actively ruling out unlikely interpretations of the scene. This involves the brain’s use of ‘what not’ sensors that respond best to stimulation that could not be caused by single objects in the environment. While this may seem paradoxical, I will review evidence from two domains (binocular vision and multisensory cue combination) where proscription accounts for neuronal responses that have long appeared puzzling.

In the talk, I will describe recent evidence from my lab consistent with proscription. In particular, I will describe human psychophysical, modelling and brain imaging (fMRI, MRS and tDCS) work that suggests that our perception of the surrounding 3D world is boosted by neural responses to what is not there.

北京大学IDG麦戈文脑科学研究所

脑科学讲座 | 学术笔记 | 研究分享

长按识别二维码，获取更多精彩内容！

官方微信公众号：Brain-Research

官方网站：http://mgv.pku.edu.cn/