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Early computational processing in binocular vision and depth perception

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Jenny ReadORCiD

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Abstract

Stereoscopic depth perception is a fascinating ability in its own right and also a useful model of perception. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the early cortical circuitry underlying this ability. Inputs from left and right eyes are first combined in primary visual cortex (V1), where many cells are tuned for binocular disparity. Although the observation of disparity tuning in V1, combined with psychophysical evidence that stereopsis must occur early in visual processing, led to initial suggestions that V1 was the neural correlate of stereoscopic depth perception, more recent work indicates that this must occur in higher visual areas. The firing of cells in V1 appears to depend relatively simply on the visual stimuli within local receptive fields in each retina, whereas the perception of depth reflects global properties of the stimulus. However, V1 neurons appear to be specialized in a number of respects to encode ecologically relevant binocular disparities. This suggests that they carry out essential pre-processing underlying stereoscopic depth perception in higher areas. This article reviews recent progress in developing accurate models of the computations carried out by these neurons. We seem close to achieving a mathematical description of the initial stages of the brain's stereo algorithm. This is important in itself--for instance, it may enable improved stereopsis in computer vision--and paves the way for a full understanding of how depth perception arises.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Read J

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology

Year: 2005

Volume: 87

Issue: 1

Pages: 77-108

ISSN (print): 0079-6107

ISSN (electronic): 1873-1732

Publisher: Pergamon

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2004.06.005

DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2004.06.005

Notes: 0079-6107 Journal Article Review


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