Single unit approaches to human vision and memory.
Research on the visual system focuses on using electrophysiology, pharmacology and other invasive tools in animal models. Non-invasive tools such as scalp electroencephalography and imaging allow examining humans but show a much lower spatial and/or temporal resolution. Under special clinical conditions, it is possible to monitor single-unit activity in humans when invasive procedures are required due to particular pathological conditions including epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. We review our knowledge about the visual system and visual memories in the human brain at the single neuron level. The properties of the human brain seem to be broadly compatible with the knowledge derived from animal models. The possibility of examining high-resolution brain activity in conscious human subjects allows investigators to ask novel questions that are challenging to address in animal models.
Kreiman
Gabriel
G
Department of Ophthalmology and Division of Neuroscience, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 1 Blackfan Circle, Karp 11, Boston, MA 02115,USA. gabriel.kreiman@childrens.harvard.edu
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology