Unsupervised Natural Experience Rapidly Alters Invariant Object Representation in Visual Cortex

TitleUnsupervised Natural Experience Rapidly Alters Invariant Object Representation in Visual Cortex
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsLi, N, DiCarlo, JJ
JournalScience
Volume321
Pagination1502 - 1507
Date Published12/2008
ISSN0036-8075
Abstract

Object recognition is challenging because each object produces myriad retinal images. Responses of neurons from the inferior temporal cortex {(IT)} are selective to different objects, yet tolerant ("invariant") to changes in object position, scale, and pose. How does the brain construct this neuronal tolerance? We report a form of neuronal learning that suggests the underlying solution. Targeted alteration of the natural temporal contiguity of visual experience caused specific changes in {IT} position tolerance. This unsupervised temporal slowness learning {(UTL)} was substantial, increased with experience, and was significant in single {IT} neurons after just 1 hour. Together with previous theoretical work and human object perception experiments, we speculate that {UTL} may reflect the mechanism by which the visual stream builds and maintains tolerant object representations.

URLhttp://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5895/1502?ijkey=wb6T4x69JeSes&keytype=ref&siteid=sci
DOI10.1126/science.1160028
Short TitleScience