How visual targets are selected for eye movements is a fundamental neural coding problem for all animals that see with a fovea. The strength of the model of the neuron as a coincidence detector suggests neural synchrony is a plausible, if not intrinsic, part of the cortical code. Moreover, synchrony has been proposed as a neural mechanism for the allocation of attention in visual processing. To investigate a synchronous ensemble code for saccadic target selection in the frontal eye field (FEF), the gravity algorithm was applied to simultaneously recorded neurons in a macaque monkey performing color singleton search. In addition to developing an original measure of statistical significance for the gravity method, this thesis demonstrates the existence of synchrony in the search process. The functional influence of synchrony in the distribution of visual attention, however, or in gating broad population responses in FEF, requires further
interpretation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-08022006-085441 |
| Date | 03 August 2006 |
| Creators | Sherwood, Jennica |
| Contributors | Jeffrey D. Schall, Anna Wang Roe |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-08022006-085441/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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