[Psychophysiological mechanisms of perception: concept of inclusive sensory characteristics].
The article offers a new outlook on the organization of the processes of human perception. It introduces the concept of inclusive sensory characteristic, which is a response of a given perceptual level to those features or characteristics of an underlying level whose spatial organization or specific temporal succession constitutes an adaptively meaningful entity. The sequence of inclusive characteristics forms a hierarchy: from features to unified images and scenes. Specific patterns of electric activity, which map inclusive characteristics, are relayed from upper to lower neuronal levels. This stimulates those neuronal populations whose signals correspond to the highest inclusive characteristic. Stimulation from above reduces the time of response of selected neurons to milliseconds. As a result, a fast sensory pathway, single and unique for each act of perception, is formed. The multi-level hierarchical selection of sensory features and adaptively meaningful entities provides for the transmission to superior cerebral structures of only those sensory data that meet the organism's requirements and objectives. Experimental data and computer modelling confirmed the inclusive characteristics conception.
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D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011603:Psychophysiology; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological / Q000502:physiology