Saliency Modulation of V1 Visual Encoding during Natural Image Viewing

Project Description

Visual saliency is thought to influence how sensory information is prioritized in higher-order cortical areas in primates, but its unique contribution beyond low-level image features remains unclear in mouse V1. This project tests whether trial-by-trial V1 responses are modulated when a neuron’s receptive field (RF) overlaps a salient region of a natural image. Using Allen Brain Observatory Neuropixels data, I estimate single-unit RFs from Gabor stimuli, compute saliency and low-level feature maps for natural images on an RF-aligned grid, and evaluate overlap effects with single-unit and population-level statistical models that control for low level visual features such as contrast, orientation, and spatial frequency.

Dandiset(s) Used

000021 (Allen Brain Observatory Visual Coding Neuropixels)

000022 (Allen Brain Observatory Visual Coding Neuropixels companion release)

Background and References

Chen, X. et al. (2020). Parietal Cortex Regulates Visual Salience and Salience-Driven Behavior. Neuron.

Allen Institute Brain Observatory / Visual Coding documentation and white papers.