ANC/DTC Seminar: Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, University of Leicester (Host: Mark van Rossum)

We can easily recognize a person or an object in a fraction of a second even when seen under strikingly different conditions. How neurons are capable of creating such an invariant representation has been a hot topic of debate in Neuroscience. In epileptic patients candidates to surgery we analyzed the responses of neurons in the human medial temporal lobe to picture presentations. Several technical improvements led to the finding of 'abstract' neurons that fired selectively to different pictures of familiar individuals (e.g. Jennifer Aniston) and even to their written names. I will discuss the possible function of these neurons.

http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/engineering/people/academic-staff/rodrigo-quian-quiroga