March 12, 2015 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM
Clark Center Seminar Room S360
James H. Clark Center 318 Campus Drive West, Stanford, CA 94305
Event Type: 

Parallel Processing and Computation in Neural Circuits

FRED RIEKE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Over a broad range of light levels, our vision relies on signals generated by both rod and cone photoreceptors. Interactions between the resulting signals shape nearly every aspect of visual perception. Although this fact has been appreciated for more than 200 years, we have little understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This exemplifies the general issue of the relation between parallel processing, neural computation and perception. Rod-cone interactions provide an excellent opportunity to tackle this general problem because of the ability to independently control rod and cone signals using physiological light inputs, the known anatomy of the parallel circuits that convey the resulting signals, and the clear importance for how we see. Dr. Rieke will describe recent work that links circuit mechanisms in the retina that mediate rod-cone interactions with human perception.

March 12th, 2015 at 12:15 PM in Clark Center Seminar Room S360


Hosted by:

E.J. Chichilniksy, Professor of Neurosurgery, Stanford University

Pre-Seminar March 9th, 2015 at 12:15 PM in Clark S361