Multiplicative mixing of object identity and image attributes in single inferior temporal neurons
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Significance: Vision is a challenging problem because the same object can produce a variety of images on the retina, mixing signals related to its identity with signals related to its viewing attributes, such as size, position, rotation, etc. Precisely how the brain separates these signals to form an efficient representation is unknown. Here, we show that single neurons in high-level visual cortex encode object identity and attribute multiplicatively and that doing so allows for better decoding of each signal.
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In high-order visual cortex of non-human primates, properties that must be decoded separately are combined multiplicatively, whereas those that must be integrated are combined additively.
“In the high-order visual cortex of non-human primates, properties that must be decoded separately (for example, object identity and image attributes) are combined multiplicatively, whereas those that must be integrated (for example, parts of an object) are combined additively31.”
From Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex (2020) · cites this paper as [31]
Subtle differences in the relative balance of additive versus multiplicative components of neural modulation at the single-neuron level may produce substantial differences in downstream decoding of object properties at the population level.
“Importantly, subtle differences in the relative balance of additive versus multiplicative components of neural modulation at the single-neuron level may produce substantial differences in the downstream decoding of object properties at the population level31.”
From Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex (2020) · cites this paper as [31]
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Direct comparison of category and spatial selectivity in human occipitotemporal cortexPreprint
Groen, I. I. A., Silson, E. H., & Baker, C. I. (2021) · doi:10.17605/osf.io/afkj6
- Authors
- Ratan Murty, N. A., & Arun, S. P.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, 560012 Bangalore, India
- Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IN)
- Corresponding author
- Arun, S. P.
- ORCID
- Arun, S. P.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2018-03-20
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- E3276-E3285
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC5889630
- OpenAlex
- W2790707260
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 1.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance (500027/Z/09/Z)
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (Senior Research Fellowship)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Advanced Image and Video Retrieval Techniques
- Keywords
- inferior temporal cortex, single neuron responses, object identity, image characteristics, population decoding, object recognition, visual invariance, high-level visual cortex, neural coding
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Computer Simulation, Form Perception, Macaca radiata, Neurons, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Photic Stimulation, Temporal Lobe, Visual Perception, Neural Networks, Computer
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