Tokyo [Japan], November 29 (ANI): Researchers from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan have found how our brain can perceive familiar objects even when they become indistinct. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Science Advances'. The appearance of objects can often change. For example, in dim evenings or fog, the contrast of the objects decreases, making it difficult to distinguish them. However, after repeatedly encountering specific objects, the brain can identify them even if they become indistinct. The exact mechanism contributing to the perception of low-contrast familiar objects remains unknown. In the primary visual cortex (V1), the area of the cerebral cortex dedicated to processing basic visual information, the visual responses have been considered to reflect directly the strength of external inputs. Thus, high-contrast visual stimuli elicit strong responses and vice versa. In this study, Rie Kimura and Yumiko Yoshimura found that in rats, the number of V1 neurons preferentially responding to low-contrast stimuli increases after repeated experiences. In these neurons, low-contrast visual stimuli elicit stronger responses, and high-contrast stimuli elicit weaker responses. These low contrast-preferring neurons show a more evident activity when rats correctly perceive a low-contrast familiar object. It was first reported in Science Advances that low-contrast preference in V1 is strengthened in an experience-dependent manner to represent low-contrast visual information well. This mechanism may contribute to the perception of familiar objects, even when they are indistinct. This flexible information representation may enable a consistent perception of familiar objects with any contrast," Kimura said. The flexibility of our brain makes our sensation effective, although you may not be aware of it. An artificial neural network model may reproduce the human sensation by incorporating not only high contrast-preferring neurons, generally considered until now, but also low contrast-preferring neurons, the main focus of this research," Kimura concluded. (ANI) This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. Science News | Study Finds How Brain Perceives Indistinct Familiar Object. Get latest articles and stories on Science at LatestLY. Researchers from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan have found how our brain can perceive familiar objects even when they become indistinct. Researchers show it is possible to improve specific human brain functions related to self-control and mental flexibility by merging artificial intelligence with targeted electrical brain stimulation. In a pilot human study, researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital show it is possible to improve specific human brain functions related to self-control and mental flexibility by merging artificial intelligence with targeted electrical brain stimulation. Alik Widge, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and member of the Medical Discovery Team on Addiction at the U of M Medical School, is the senior author of the research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The findings come from a human study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston among 12 patients undergoing brain surgery for epilepsy -- a procedure that places hundreds of tiny electrodes throughout the brain to record its activity and identify where seizures originate.
In this study, Widge collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital's Sydney Cash, MD, PhD, an expert in epilepsy research; and Darin Dougherty, MD, an expert in clinical brain stimulation. Together, they identified a brain region -- the internal capsule -- that improved patients' mental function when stimulated with small amounts of electrical energy. That part of the brain is responsible for cognitive control -- the process of shifting from one thought pattern or behavior to another, which is impaired in most mental illnesses.
An example might include a person with depression who just can't get out of a 'stuck' negative thought. Because it is so central to mental illness, finding a way to improve it could be a powerful new way to treat those illnesses," Widge said.
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