Neuronal basis of perceptual learning in striate cortex.
It is well known that, in humans, contrast sensitivity training at high spatial frequency (SF) not only leads to contrast sensitivity improvement, but also results in an improvement in visual acuity as assessed with gratings (direct effect) or letters (transfer effect). However, the underlying neural mechanisms of this high spatial frequency training improvement remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined four properties of neurons in primary visual cortex (area 17) of adult cats that exhibited significantly improved acuity after contrast sensitivity training with a high spatial frequency grating and those of untrained control cats. We found no difference in neuronal contrast sensitivity or tuning width (Width) between the trained and untrained cats. However, the trained cats showed a displacement of the cells' optimal spatial frequency (OSF) to higher spatial frequencies as well as a larger neuronal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Furthermore, both the neuronal differences in OSF and SNR were significantly correlated with the improvement of acuity measured behaviorally. These results suggest that striate neurons might mediate the perceptual learning-induced improvement for high spatial frequency stimuli by an alteration in their spatial frequency representation and by an increased SNR.
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Zhen
Z
Ren
School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325003, P.R. China.|McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jiawei
J
Zhou
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Zhimo
Z
Yao
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Zhengchun
Z
Wang
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Nini
N
Yuan
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Guangwei
G
Xu
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Xuan
X
Wang
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Bing
B
Zhang
McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Robert F
RF
Hess
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China.
Yifeng
Y
Zhou
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception