Matteo Carandini
Encyclopedia
Matteo Carandini is a contemporary neuroscientist
who studies the visual system
. He received a PhD in Neural Science from New York University
and continued as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University
. After holding positions in Zurich
(1999–2002) and in San Francisco (2002–2008), he is currently a Professor at University College London
.
His studies focus on the lateral geniculate nucleus
and on the visual cortex
(V1). In the 1990s, working with David Heeger
and J Anthony Movshon he refined and provided evidence for Heeger's normalization model
of V1 responses.
Together with David Ferster he characterized the relationship between synaptic excitation, synaptic inhibition, membrane potential, and firing rate in visual cortex and discovered that prolonged visual stimulation causes a tonic hyperpolarization in V1 neurons.
More recent work concerns the characterization of fast adaptive mechanisms in the responses of the early visual system
, a comparison with the properties of natural images and a test of the resulting models in the responses to complex natural stimuli.
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
who studies the visual system
Visual system
The visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to process visual detail, as well as enabling several non-image forming photoresponse functions. It interprets information from visible light to build a representation of the surrounding world...
. He received a PhD in Neural Science from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and continued as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. After holding positions in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(1999–2002) and in San Francisco (2002–2008), he is currently a Professor at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
His studies focus on the lateral geniculate nucleus
Lateral geniculate nucleus
The lateral geniculate nucleus is the primary relay center for visual information received from the retina of the eye. The LGN is found inside the thalamus of the brain....
and on the visual cortex
Visual cortex
The visual cortex of the brain is the part of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe, in the back of the brain....
(V1). In the 1990s, working with David Heeger
David Heeger
David Heeger is a contemporary neuroscientist whose research focuses on biological and artificial vision.He has made a number of influential contributions. These include a model how one can measure motion from optic flow, a nonlinear model of responses in the visual cortex called the "normalization...
and J Anthony Movshon he refined and provided evidence for Heeger's normalization model
Normalization model
The normalization model is an influential model of responses of neurons in primary visual cortex. David Heeger developed the model in the early 1990s, and later refined it together with Matteo Carandini and J Anthony Movshon. The model involves a divisive stage. In the numerator is the output of...
of V1 responses.
Together with David Ferster he characterized the relationship between synaptic excitation, synaptic inhibition, membrane potential, and firing rate in visual cortex and discovered that prolonged visual stimulation causes a tonic hyperpolarization in V1 neurons.
More recent work concerns the characterization of fast adaptive mechanisms in the responses of the early visual system
Visual system
The visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to process visual detail, as well as enabling several non-image forming photoresponse functions. It interprets information from visible light to build a representation of the surrounding world...
, a comparison with the properties of natural images and a test of the resulting models in the responses to complex natural stimuli.