Seeing patterns in the noise.
How do observers detect the presence of objects or features in visual images? Stochastic stimuli (for example, white noise) have become popular choices for providing a linear characterization of early sensory mechanisms. A recent paper by Neri and Heeger takes this type of methodology a step further, and succeeds in isolating and characterizing non-linear mechanisms responsible for the detection and identification of a specific visual target.
Simoncelli
Eero P.
EP
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Neural Science, and Courant Insitute for Mathematical Sciences, New York University, 4 Washington Place, Rm. 809, 10003, New York, NY, USA