FBS Colloquia No.185Visual Neuroscience Laboratory

Why is the notion of frequency space and Fourier analysis important for understanding the brain?

The notion of frequency space and Fourier analysis is essential for linear systems theory and x-ray diffraction analysis. It is also of fundamental importance for understanding auditory and visual perception. This is because the modern visual receptive field is defined in the joint space consisting of space-time (X, Y, T) and spatiotemporal frequency (Fx, Fy, Ft). This is particularly true for understanding the function of visual area MT. To promote deeper understanding of these notions, we have developed a real-time simulator for just one visual neuron in MT. It will compute responses of one neuron in real-time, using the standard video camea now built into most laptop computers. I wish to share how this allows intuitive understanding of the operation of visual neurons.