The Computation of Direction Selectivity in the Retina
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Christopher Platt'}
Visual detection of motion occurs via neurons that selectively               respond to the direction of movement in the visual field.  Cells                in the retinal ganglia give ON/OFF responses when moving objects                cross their receptive fields in appropriate directions.  This                   implies that there are neural circuits that inhibit the responses               of these cells, and it is those circuits that are the object of                 investigation in this project.                                                     The study addresses four major questions:                                    1.  Are these cells essential to direction selectivity or do they               simply function in determining velocity and orientation?                        2.  How does the inhibition interact with excitation in the                     retina?                                                                         3.  How does the inhibition relate to the cells' tuning to                      velocity and direction selectivity?                                             4.  How dependent is the inhibition on the contrast of the object               whose motion is being perceived?                                                   The methods employed include electrophysiology, pharmacology                 and immunohistochemistry, with computational theoretical analysis               of the data.  The work is significant for a number of reasons.                  It includes analysis of general mechanisms that are probably                    fundamental to the function of the brain.  It will also                         demonstrate the limitations of early motion measurements, perhaps               setting constraints on what may be expected of motion perception.               Finally, it includes the development of new experimental as well                as theoretical tools that will be applicable to studies of motion               perception mechanisms in higher centers of the brain.                            ***                                                                              //
{'FirstName': 'Norberto', 'LastName': 'Grzywacz', 'EmailAddress': 'nmg@bmsr.usc.edu', 'StartDate': '08/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology', 'CityName': 'Cambridge', 'ZipCode': '021394301', 'PhoneNumber': '6172531000', 'StreetAddress': '77 MASSACHUSETTS AVE', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Massachusetts', 'StateCode': 'MA'}
{'Code': '1185', 'Text': 'SENSORY SYSTEMS'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8809528.xml'}