Neural mechanisms supporting the development of visual form and motion perception

old_uid7369
titleNeural mechanisms supporting the development of visual form and motion perception
start_date2009/09/25
schedule11h
onlineno
location_infosalle de conférence
summaryWe use a developmental strategy to study the neural mecha-nisms underlying perception. Infants see poorly. Given nor-mal visual experience, vision develops to adult levels over months or years after birth. By comparing behavioral and neural changes during development we seek to identify the mechanisms that limit perceptual performance. In this talk, I will describe behavioral and neurophysiological studies of the development of form and motion perception in macaque monkeys. We have identified immaturities in the early vis-ual pathways – from the LGN through MT – in young animals that reflect some aspects of sensitivity as measured behav-iorally. However, these immaturities are not sufficient to explain the poor visual performance of infants. Therefore, we suggest that there are additional sites downstream in the visual pathways that impose limits on perceptual devel-opment.
responsiblesVezoli