2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Visual attention neuroprosthesis in marmoset to elucidate midbrain mechanisms of bottom-up attention
| Project/Area Number |
21K15609
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
Veale Richard 京都大学, 医学研究科, 助教 (80828880)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Free Viewing / Superior Colliculus / Blindsight / Gaze Behavior / Saliency |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This year, primary achievements were analysis of free viewing gaze data from control subjects and from human infants (a model with less top-down input), implementation of better predictive models for replacing missing visual cortex activity, and design and planning of the superior colliculus silicon probe implantations. Interestingly, infants past 12 months do not appear to have different looking patterns than marmosets, in contrast to our predictions (and thus using 12 month old infants as a null model against marmosets for comparison is tenable).
On the modeling side, I implemented foveation and gaze-centered versions of the target prediction (i.e. saliency map) models. This took longer than expected due to underestimation of their difficulty for real-time implementation. These are available freely on github.
Finally, to enable better throughput and administration of data, I implemented a pipeline to analyze gaze data and saliency (including saccade and other eye movement detections) which uses relational databases instead of the previous distributed file format, to save space and computation. I submitted a large review paper as well as several other original papers regarding the infant data as well as free viewing data from marmoset.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
4: Progress in research has been delayed.
Reason
Due to several factors influenced by COVID last year as well as unforeseen difficulties with some aspects of the modeling,, several aspects of the project (experiments) are running behind. Specifically, stimulation experiments in colliculus of marmoset and the marmoset blindsight surgeries are running behind.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
I will begin recording and analysis (and possibly stimulation) of superior colliculus silicon probe data within the next month. Free viewing in marmosets is running behind due to constraints of space for experiments, but by collaborating with other teams using the same facility I should be able to complete the majority of the proposed research in some form.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Due to the delay in experiments I was not able to do the marmoset surgeries, and to acquire the silicon probes for the second marmoset subject. I will do that this year.
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