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. 1986 Nov;83(22):8779–8783. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.22.8779

From basic network principles to neural architecture: emergence of orientation columns.

R Linsker
PMCID: PMC387015  PMID: 3464981

Abstract

Orientation-selective cells--cells that are selectively responsive to bars and edges at particular orientations--are a salient feature of the architecture of mammalian visual cortex. In the previous paper of this series, I showed that such cells emerge spontaneously during the development of a simple multilayered network having local but initially random feedforward connections that mature, one layer at a time, according to a simple development rule (of Hebb type). In this paper, I show that, in the presence of lateral connections between developing orientation cells, these cells self-organize into banded patterns of cells of similar orientation. These patterns are similar to the "orientation columns" found in mammalian visual cortex. No orientation preference is specified to the system at any stage, none of the basic developmental rules is specific to visual processing, and the results emerge even in the absence of visual input to the system (as has been observed in macaque monkey).

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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