Computation in Neural Systems (Biological and Computational Vision)

Objective

This course considers the operation of circuits in the process of neural computations. The evolution of neural systems will be considered to demonstrate how neural structures and mechanisms are optimised for energy capture, transduction, transmission and representation of information. Canonical brain circuits will be described as models for the analysis of sensory information. The concept of receptive fields will be introduced and their role in coding spatial and temporal information will be considered. The constraints of the bandwidth of neural channels and the mechanisms of normalization by neural circuits will be discussed. The visual system will form the basis of case studies in the computation of form, depth, and motion. The role of multiple channels and collective computations for object recognition will be considered. Coordinate transformations of space and time by cortical and subcortical mechanisms will be analysed. The means by which sensory and motor systems are integrated to allow for adaptive behaviour will be considered.

Content

This course considers the operation of circuits in the process of neural computations. The evolution of neural systems will be considered to demonstrate how neural structures and mechanisms are optimised for energy capture, transduction, transmission and representation of information. Canonical brain circuits will be described as models for the analysis of sensory information. The concept of receptive fields will be introduced and their role in coding spatial and temporal information will be considered. The constraints of the bandwidth of neural channels and the mechanisms of normalization by neural circuits will be discussed. The visual system will form the basis of case studies in the computation of form, depth, and motion. The role of multiple channels and collective computations for object recognition will be considered. Coordinate transformations of space and time by cortical and subcortical mechanisms will be analysed. The means by which sensory and motor systems are integrated to allow for adaptive behaviour will be considered.

Resources