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Le cortex cérébral est impliqué dans plusieurs fonctions entre autres le traitement des informations sensorielles. Il inclut des zones recevant directement une entrée sensorielle telle que le cortex visuel primaire (V1) qui traite les informations visuelles. Au niveau du V1 des mammifères, chaque neurone présente une combinaison préférentielle de stimuli pour lesquels sa réponse est optimale. Cela dit, chaque attribut de stimulus tel que les fréquences temporelle et spatiale, l’orientation et la direction du mouvement induit une réponse maximale du neurone. Le neurone du V1 est donc sélectif. Cependant, cette sélectivité n’est pas le résultat de l’activité du neurone en question seul, mais plutôt du réseau neuronal dans lequel il est impliqué. L’ensemble des préférences d’un neurone ainsi que le réseau neuronal auquel il appartient demeurent sensiblement inchangés, tant que les facteurs contextuels ne varient que peu ou pas. Toutefois, si les composantes de l’environnement changent de manière imposante, la sélectivité neuronale et l’organisation du réseau original seront modifiées pour induire un nouvel état d’équilibre. C’est la plasticité neuronale. Le but ultime de cette thèse est de comprendre et d’approfondir les connaissances relatives aux mécanismes régissant la sélectivité à l’orientation ainsi que la plasticité dans V1, et ce, par différentes études qui sont organisées, dans cette thèse en trois sections. Les sections (3) et (4) se basent sur une étude pharmacologique qui vise à examiner l’effet de la kétamine sur la sélectivité à l’orientation (section 3) et sur l’adaptation visuelle tout en traitant la connectivité neuronale (section 4). La section (5) vise à examiner l’effet de l’adaptation sur l’affinité des courbes d’accord des neurones. Ce travail a permis d’étudier l’effet de la kétamine et de l’adaptation visuelle sur les propriétés sélectives à l’orientation des neurones ainsi que sur la dynamique des relations fonctionnelles au sein du microcircuit. / The cerebral cortex plays a key role in several functions including the processing of sensory information. It contains areas that receive direct sensory input such as the primary visual cortex (V1) which processes visual information. V1 neurons of mammals are selective for several attributes, such as spatial and temporal frequencies, orientation, and direction of motion. Thus, V1 neurons exhibit selectivities. This neuronal selectivity rests in the convergence of clusters of synapses involved in the network. Neural selectivity and networks are formed during the sensitive period of brain development and is present throughout the animal’s life. However, in V1 during postnatal life, the neuronal selectivity and the neural circuitry are further shaped by experience, thus, rendering it plastic. The main objective of the current thesis is to understand the mechanisms involved in the orientation selectivity as well as the neuroplasticity in V1. To this aim, different investigations, organized in this thesis, in three sections, were carried out. The sections (3) and (4) are based on a pharmacological study that aim to examine the effect of ketamine on orientation selectivity (section 3) and on visual adaptation in relation with neural connectivity (section 4). The study presented in the third section (section 5) investigated the effect of adaptation on the cell’s tuning. Here, we disclose the effects of ketamine and visual adaptation on the cell’s tuning properties as well as on the dynamics of functional relationships between neurons in the microcircuit.

Para atenuar o impacto visual, que acomete o motorista ao ingressar em túneis rodoviários durante o período diurno, utiliza-se a luz artificial, com alto nível inicial e gradual diminuição para o interior do túnel. Tal solução apresenta dois inconvenientes imediatos, relacionados ao consumo de energia e à segurança. Devido à radiação solar direta, as imediações da entrada do túnel tornam-se fontes de ofuscamento de elevada intensidade e a iluminação deve estar dimensionada para permitir, ao motorista que se aproxima da entrada do túnel, a visualização de seu interior, implicando em elevado consumo de energia para uma tarefa com pouco requisito visual. Quanto à segurança, na hipótese de falta de energia aumenta-se a probabilidade de acidentes, pois o reflexo do motorista pode ser frear. As soluções arquitetônicas, objeto da pesquisa, correspondem a um Sistema para Adaptação Visual (SAV), implantado no trecho de rodovia aberta anterior à entrada do túnel, que, por um lado, atua nos elementos causadores do problema e, por outro, fornece a iluminação necessária no interior do túnel através das fontes de luz natural (Sol e céu). Para sua concepção, são propostas cinco estratégias. O desempenho do SAV, assim constituído, foi testado em uma aplicação prática nos túneis do trecho Oeste do Rodoanel Mário Covas, sem apresentar os inconvenientes identificados na solução convencional (iluminação artificial). A segurança no ponto crítico ficou garantida por característica intrínseca do sistema. Além de reduzir o consumo, a energia para o período noturno pôde ser gerada pelo próprio SAV, se incorporados módulos fotovoltaicos, e a sazonalidade característica da luz natural é acompanhada pelo sistema, favorecendo o conforto visual por diminuir a faixa em que ocorre o processo de adaptação visual. / The usual adopted solution to defuse the drivers visual impact at the highway tunnel entrance during the daytime, has been the use of electric lighting, with high initial level and gradual reduction towards the internal side of the tunnel. This brings two immediate problems, concerning energy consumption and security. Direct sunlight causes high intensity glare sources around the tunnel entrance, and the lighting level should be enough to allow the interior visibility, when the driver approaches the tunnel, entailing high energy consumption to a low accurate task. Security-wise, in case of power supply failure, collisions possibility increases, due to the drivers instinctive reaction to brake suddenly. Architectural solutions, this research object, are related to a Visual Adaptation System (VAS) positioned on the open road before the tunnel entrance, which, on the one hand, acts into the problem causes, and, on the other, provides the necessary lighting inside the tunnel by natural light sources (Sun and sky). Five strategies are proposed designing the VAS. A practical application on Metropolitan Area Ring Road Mario Covas West segment tunnels checked the so-built VAS performance, not presenting the identified deficiencies in the conventional solution (artificial lighting). The intrinsic system feature assured the critical point security. Besides the consumption reduction, the energy supply for nighttime could be generated by the VAS, if photovoltaic modules are added, and the natural light seasonal feature is followed by the system, favoring the visual comfort by decreasing the visual adaptation process range.

Para atenuar o impacto visual, que acomete o motorista ao ingressar em túneis rodoviários durante o período diurno, utiliza-se a luz artificial, com alto nível inicial e gradual diminuição para o interior do túnel. Tal solução apresenta dois inconvenientes imediatos, relacionados ao consumo de energia e à segurança. Devido à radiação solar direta, as imediações da entrada do túnel tornam-se fontes de ofuscamento de elevada intensidade e a iluminação deve estar dimensionada para permitir, ao motorista que se aproxima da entrada do túnel, a visualização de seu interior, implicando em elevado consumo de energia para uma tarefa com pouco requisito visual. Quanto à segurança, na hipótese de falta de energia aumenta-se a probabilidade de acidentes, pois o reflexo do motorista pode ser frear. As soluções arquitetônicas, objeto da pesquisa, correspondem a um Sistema para Adaptação Visual (SAV), implantado no trecho de rodovia aberta anterior à entrada do túnel, que, por um lado, atua nos elementos causadores do problema e, por outro, fornece a iluminação necessária no interior do túnel através das fontes de luz natural (Sol e céu). Para sua concepção, são propostas cinco estratégias. O desempenho do SAV, assim constituído, foi testado em uma aplicação prática nos túneis do trecho Oeste do Rodoanel Mário Covas, sem apresentar os inconvenientes identificados na solução convencional (iluminação artificial). A segurança no ponto crítico ficou garantida por característica intrínseca do sistema. Além de reduzir o consumo, a energia para o período noturno pôde ser gerada pelo próprio SAV, se incorporados módulos fotovoltaicos, e a sazonalidade característica da luz natural é acompanhada pelo sistema, favorecendo o conforto visual por diminuir a faixa em que ocorre o processo de adaptação visual. / The usual adopted solution to defuse the drivers visual impact at the highway tunnel entrance during the daytime, has been the use of electric lighting, with high initial level and gradual reduction towards the internal side of the tunnel. This brings two immediate problems, concerning energy consumption and security. Direct sunlight causes high intensity glare sources around the tunnel entrance, and the lighting level should be enough to allow the interior visibility, when the driver approaches the tunnel, entailing high energy consumption to a low accurate task. Security-wise, in case of power supply failure, collisions possibility increases, due to the drivers instinctive reaction to brake suddenly. Architectural solutions, this research object, are related to a Visual Adaptation System (VAS) positioned on the open road before the tunnel entrance, which, on the one hand, acts into the problem causes, and, on the other, provides the necessary lighting inside the tunnel by natural light sources (Sun and sky). Five strategies are proposed designing the VAS. A practical application on Metropolitan Area Ring Road Mario Covas West segment tunnels checked the so-built VAS performance, not presenting the identified deficiencies in the conventional solution (artificial lighting). The intrinsic system feature assured the critical point security. Besides the consumption reduction, the energy supply for nighttime could be generated by the VAS, if photovoltaic modules are added, and the natural light seasonal feature is followed by the system, favoring the visual comfort by decreasing the visual adaptation process range.

This thesis concerns with the introduction to the problematics of images with high dynamic range (HDR) and possibilities of HDR images compression options for display on devices with a low dynamic range (LDR). In the introduction is described historical evolution of recording of reality. It is focusing towards point of view of physics, human visual perception and digital recording. There are described the ways of generating and holding of HDR images. The thesis is corncerned to the techniques of HDR compression, it means the tone-mapping. The different techniques of tone-mapping are explained and specific aproach is targeted to the gradient domain high dynamic range compresion.