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Superior colliculus neurons encode a visual saliency map during free viewing of natural dynamic video

Author

Listed:
  • Brian J. White

    (Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University)

  • David J. Berg

    (IBM Research, Almaden)

  • Janis Y. Kan

    (Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University)

  • Robert A. Marino

    (Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University)

  • Laurent Itti

    (University of Southern California)

  • Douglas P. Munoz

    (Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University)

Abstract

Models of visual attention postulate the existence of a saliency map whose function is to guide attention and gaze to the most conspicuous regions in a visual scene. Although cortical representations of saliency have been reported, there is mounting evidence for a subcortical saliency mechanism, which pre-dates the evolution of neocortex. Here, we conduct a strong test of the saliency hypothesis by comparing the output of a well-established computational saliency model with the activation of neurons in the primate superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain structure associated with attention and gaze, while monkeys watched video of natural scenes. We find that the activity of SC superficial visual-layer neurons (SCs), specifically, is well-predicted by the model. This saliency representation is unlikely to be inherited from fronto-parietal cortices, which do not project to SCs, but may be computed in SCs and relayed to other areas via tectothalamic pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian J. White & David J. Berg & Janis Y. Kan & Robert A. Marino & Laurent Itti & Douglas P. Munoz, 2017. "Superior colliculus neurons encode a visual saliency map during free viewing of natural dynamic video," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14263
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14263
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    Cited by:

    1. Rita Gil & Mafalda Valente & Noam Shemesh, 2024. "Rat superior colliculus encodes the transition between static and dynamic vision modes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.

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