Tim Gollisch (Independent Junior Research Group Visual coding, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany)

The Bernstein Center Freiburg

Bernstein Seminar

Tim Gollisch

Independent Junior Research Group Visual coding
Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
Martinsried, Germany

 

Neural Code and Circuitry for Rapid Image Processing in the Retina

Abstract:
Visual perception can be an amazingly fast process. Psychophysical experiments as well as short fixation times between saccadic eye movements demonstrate that the visual system can perform complex image analyses in a mere fraction of second. This poses the question how neurons represent and transmit visual information in order to facilitate rapid signal processing. We study this question in the retina, the first stage of the visual system. In this talk, I will discuss recent findings regarding rapid information transmission from the retina to the brain by precise temporal spike patterns. The characteristics of this spike-timing code help us gain insight into the underlying neuronal circuitry and lead us towards a refined model of how retinal neurons integrate spatiotemporal visual stimuli.

Host: Stefan Rotter