The Influence of Contrasts on Directional and Spatial Frequency Tuning in Visual Cortex Areas 17/18 of the Cat

Neurons within early visual cortex are selective for basic image statistics, including spatial frequency. However, these neurons are thought to act as band-pass filters, with the window of spatial frequency sensitivity varying across the visual field and across visual areas. Although a handful of previous functional (f)MRI studies have examined human spatial frequency sensitivity using conventional designs and analysis methods, these measurements are time consuming and fail to capture the precision of spatial frequency tuning (bandwidth). In this study, we introduce a model-driven approach to fMRI analyses that allows for fast and efficient estimation of population spatial frequency tuning (pSFT) for individual voxels. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses within early visual cortex were acquired while subjects viewed a series of full-field stimuli that swept through a large range of spatial frequency content. Each stimulus was generated by band-pass filtering white noise with a central frequency that changed periodically between a minimum of 0.5 cycles/degree (cpd) and a maximum of 12 cpd. To estimate the underlying frequency tuning of each voxel, we assumed a log-Gaussian pSFT and optimized the parameters of this function by comparing our model output against the measured BOLD time series. Consistent with previous studies, our results show that an increase in eccentricity within each visual area is accompanied by a drop in the peak spatial frequency of the pSFT. Moreover, we found that pSFT bandwidth depends on eccentricity and is correlated with the pSFT peak; populations with lower peaks possess broader bandwidths in logarithmic scale, whereas in linear scale this relationship is reversed. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Spatial frequency selectivity is a hallmark property of early visuocortical neurons, and mapping these sensitivities gives us crucial insight into the hierarchical organization of information within visual areas. Due to technical obstacles, we lack a comprehensive picture of the properties of this sensitivity in humans. Here, we introduce a new method, coined population spatial frequency tuning mapping, which circumvents the limitations of the conventional neuroimaging methods, yielding a fuller visuocortical map of spatial frequency sensitivity.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of SO3 symmetry breaking mechanism for orientation and spatial frequency tuning in the visual cortex.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1012193.184678 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Misha Tsodyks

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Symmetry Breaking ◽

Spatial Frequency ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Spatial Frequency Tuning ◽

Breaking Mechanism

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Dynamics of spatial frequency tuning in mouse visual cortex

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00022.2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 107 (11) ◽

pp. 2937-2949 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Samme Vreysen ◽

Bin Zhang ◽

Yuzo M. Chino ◽

Lutgarde Arckens ◽

Gert Van den Bergh

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Spatial Frequency ◽

Visual Information ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Neuronal Response ◽

Correlation Technique ◽

Low Frequencies ◽

Temporal Shift ◽

Spatial Frequency Tuning ◽

Spatial Frequencies

Neuronal spatial frequency tuning in primary visual cortex (V1) substantially changes over time. In both primates and cats, a shift of the neuron's preferred spatial frequency has been observed from low frequencies early in the response to higher frequencies later in the response. In most cases, this shift is accompanied by a decreased tuning bandwidth. Recently, the mouse has gained attention as a suitable animal model to study the basic mechanisms of visual information processing, demonstrating similarities in basic neuronal response properties between rodents and highly visual mammals. Here we report the results of extracellular single-unit recordings in the anesthetized mouse where we analyzed the dynamics of spatial frequency tuning in V1 and the lateromedial area LM within the lateral extrastriate area V2L. We used a reverse-correlation technique to demonstrate that, as in monkeys and cats, the preferred spatial frequency of mouse V1 neurons shifted from low to higher frequencies later in the response. However, this was not correlated with a clear selectivity increase or enhanced suppression of responses to low spatial frequencies. These results suggest that the neuronal connections responsible for the temporal shift in spatial frequency tuning may considerably differ between mice and monkeys.

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Contralateral Bias of High Spatial Frequency Tuning and Cardinal Direction Selectivity in Mouse Visual Cortex

Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.1523/jneurosci.1484-17.2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (42) ◽

pp. 10125-10138 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kirstie J. Salinas ◽

Dario X. Figueroa Velez ◽

Jack H. Zeitoun ◽

Hyungtae Kim ◽

Sunil P. Gandhi

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Spatial Frequency ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

High Spatial Frequency ◽

Direction Selectivity ◽

Spatial Frequency Tuning ◽

Cardinal Direction ◽

Mouse Visual Cortex

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Multiple spatial-frequency tuning of electrical responses from human visual cortex

Experimental Brain Research ◽

10.1007/bf00235573 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 33 (3-4) ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

C.W. Tyler ◽

P. Apkarian ◽

K. Nakayama

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Spatial Frequency ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Human Visual Cortex ◽

Spatial Frequency Tuning ◽

Electrical Responses

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Laminar Organization of Response Properties in Primary Visual Cortex of the Gray Squirrel(Sciurus carolinensis)

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00106.2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 94 (5) ◽

pp. 3538-3554 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

J. Alexander Heimel ◽

Stephen D. Van Hooser ◽

Sacha B. Nelson

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Spatial Frequency ◽

Spontaneous Activity ◽

Frequency Tuning ◽

Temporal Frequency ◽

Sciurus Carolinensis ◽

Gray Squirrel ◽

Laminar Organization ◽

Spatial Frequency Tuning ◽

Layer 4

The gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis) is a diurnal highly visual rodent with a cone-rich retina. To determine which features of visual cortex are common to highly visual mammals and which are restricted to non-rodent species, we studied the laminar organization of response properties in primary visual area V1 of isoflurane-anesthetized squirrels using extra-cellular single-unit recording and sinusoidal grating stimuli. Of the responsive cells, 75% were tuned for orientation. Only 10% were directionally selective, almost all in layer 6, a layer receiving direct input from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Cone opponency was widespread but almost absent from layer 6. Median optimal spatial frequency tuning was 0.21 cycles/°. Median optimal temporal frequency a high 5.3 Hz. Layer 4 had the highest percentage of simple cells and shortest latency (26 ms). Layers 2/3 had the lowest spontaneous activity and highest temporal frequency tuning. Layer 5 had the broadest spatial frequency tuning and most spontaneous activity. At the layer 4/5 border were sustained cells with high cone opponency. Simple cells, determined by modulation to drifting sinusoidal gratings, responded with shorter latencies, were more selective for orientation and direction, and were tuned to lower spatial frequencies. A comparison with other mammals shows that although the laminar organization of orientation selectivity is variable, the cortical input layers contain more linear cells in most mammals. Nocturnal mammals appear to have more orientation-selective neurons in V1 than diurnal mammals of similar size.

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