Exploring the neural representation of natural images

Context

Understanding the link between the mind and the brain is arguably one of our greatest challenges in modern neuroscience. Scientists have argued about whether the human brain is composed of a set of highly specialised modules, each carrying out a specific aspect of human cognition, or is more of a general-purpose device, in which each component participates in a wide variety of cognitive processes.

The research

Our research uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure patterns of neural response to objects and faces in the visual brain. By comparing the neural responses with the outputs of computer vision algorithms and behavioural responses from human observers, we reveal that the conventional modular interpretation of brain organisation can be better understood in terms of graded, spatially organised maps. This provides a new perspective for understanding the organisation of the mind and how damage to the brain leads to different neurological conditions.

Featured publications

• Low-level image properties of visual objects predict patterns of neural response across category-selective regions of the ventral visual pathway
• Patterns of neural response in face regions are predicted by low-level image properties
• A data-driven approach to stimulus selection reveals an image-based representation of objects in high-level visual areas