Study by Yale researchers / Article by Neuroscience News
Spatial context non-uniformly modulates inter-laminar information flow in the primary visual cortex
A new study revealed that visual clutter alters how information flows between neurons in the brain’s primary visual cortex. (Spatial context non-uniformly modulates inter-laminar information flow in the primary visual cortex) Researchers found that the efficiency of information transfer changes depending on the location of clutter in the visual field.
This study highlights one of the reasons why people with Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS), who already exhibit abnormalities in the visual and sensory processing areas of the brain, are hypersensitive to visual stimuli. This includes crowded or cluttered spaces with busy sights and sounds, which overwhelm the visual field and senses.
Our surroundings and exposure to stimuli affect our brains. This is part of what makes people with VSS more susceptible to “sensory overload”, which is when is the brain receives more sensory input than it can handle, triggering a “flight-or-fight” response.
For ways to mitigate visual-sensory overload in people with Visual Snow Syndrome, please visit the Treating Visual Snow page on our website.
Authors / Investigators: Xize Xu, Mitchell P. Morton, Sachira Denagamage, Nyomi V. Hudson, Anirvan S. Nandy, Monika P. Jadi
Highlights
- Inter-laminar information flow in V1 occurs along communication subspaces
- Structure of inter-laminar subspace is preserved across spatial locations of visual context
- Visual context degrades efficacy of information flow in a location-dependent manner
- The degradation is driven by a novel signal targeting the output layers
Summary
Our visual experience is a result of the concerted activity of neuronal ensembles in the sensory hierarchy. Yet, how the spatial organization of objects influences this activity remains poorly understood. We investigate how inter-laminar information flow within the primary visual cortex (V1) is affected by visual stimuli in isolation or with flankers at spatial configurations that are known to cause non-uniform degradation of perception. By employing dimensionality reduction approaches to simultaneous, layer-specific population recordings, we establish that information propagation between cortical layers occurs along a structurally stable communication subspace. The spatial configuration of contextual stimuli differentially modulates inter-laminar communication efficacy, the balance of feedforward and effective feedback signaling, and contextual signaling in the superficial layers. Remarkably, these modulations mirror the spatially non-uniform aspects of perceptual degradation. Our results suggest a model of retinotopically non-uniform cortical connectivity in the output layers of V1 that influences information flow in the sensory hierarchy.
