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Salient parts of a visual scene attract longer and earlier fixations of the eyes. Saliency is driven by bottom-up (image dependent) factors and top-down factors such as behavioral relevance, goals, and expertise. It is currently assumed that a saliency map defining eye fixation priorities is stored in neural structures that remain to be determined. Lesion studies support a role for the amygdala in detecting saliency. Here we show that neurons in the amygdala of primates fire differentially when the eyes approach to or fixate behaviorally relevant parts of visual scenes. Ensemble bursting in the amygdala accurately predicts main fixations during the free-viewing of natural images. However, fixation prediction is significantly better for faces-where a bottom-up computational saliency model fails-compared to unfamiliar objects and landscapes. On this basis we propose the amygdala as a locus for a saliency map and ensemble bursting as a saliency coding mechanism.
Pubmed ID: 22848193
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A program developed by the NIMH Laboratory of Neuropsychology for data acquisition and experimental control of neurophysiological experiments. The purpose of this website is to make it easier to access new versions of NIMH CORTEX and its supporting documents. Ultimately, it is also hoped that these pages will make it easier for users to report bugs, request enhancements, and obtain help. Download the latest version and unzip it into a new sub-directory. Then read the on-line documentation. For the new user, the User''s Manuals are invaluable in specifying system requirements and giving an overview of the features and necessary hardware. The Function reference goes into more detail about how to write experiments using NIMH CORTEX. The Demos reference is a good place for new and experienced users to start to get an idea of what NIMH CORTEX can do these days.
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