Direction and speed selectivity properties for spatio-temporal receptive fields according to the generalized Gaussian derivative model for visual receptive fields

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Lindeberg, Tony
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Lindeberg, Tony
author_facet Lindeberg, Tony
contents This paper gives an in-depth theoretical analysis of the direction and speed selectivity properties of idealized models of the spatio-temporal receptive fields of simple cells and complex cells, based on the generalized Gaussian derivative model for visual receptive fields. According to this theory, the receptive fields are modelled as velocity-adapted affine Gaussian derivatives for different image velocities and different degrees of elongation. By probing such idealized receptive field models of visual neurons to moving sine waves with different angular frequencies and image velocities, we characterize the computational models to a structurally similar probing method as is used for characterizing the direction and speed selective properties of biological neurons. By comparison to results of neurophysiological measurements of direction and speed selectivity for biological neurons in the primary visual cortex, we find that our theoretical results are consistent with (i) velocity-tuned visual neurons that are sensitive to particular motion directions and speeds, and (ii) different visual neurons having broader vs. sharper direction and speed selective properties. Our theoretical results in combination with results from neurophysiological characterizations of motion-sensitive visual neurons are also consistent with a previously formulated hypothesis that the simple cells in the primary visual cortex ought to be covariant under local Galilean transformations, so as to enable processing of visual stimuli with different motion directions and speeds.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_08101
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Direction and speed selectivity properties for spatio-temporal receptive fields according to the generalized Gaussian derivative model for visual receptive fields
Lindeberg, Tony
Neurons and Cognition
This paper gives an in-depth theoretical analysis of the direction and speed selectivity properties of idealized models of the spatio-temporal receptive fields of simple cells and complex cells, based on the generalized Gaussian derivative model for visual receptive fields. According to this theory, the receptive fields are modelled as velocity-adapted affine Gaussian derivatives for different image velocities and different degrees of elongation. By probing such idealized receptive field models of visual neurons to moving sine waves with different angular frequencies and image velocities, we characterize the computational models to a structurally similar probing method as is used for characterizing the direction and speed selective properties of biological neurons. By comparison to results of neurophysiological measurements of direction and speed selectivity for biological neurons in the primary visual cortex, we find that our theoretical results are consistent with (i) velocity-tuned visual neurons that are sensitive to particular motion directions and speeds, and (ii) different visual neurons having broader vs. sharper direction and speed selective properties. Our theoretical results in combination with results from neurophysiological characterizations of motion-sensitive visual neurons are also consistent with a previously formulated hypothesis that the simple cells in the primary visual cortex ought to be covariant under local Galilean transformations, so as to enable processing of visual stimuli with different motion directions and speeds.
title Direction and speed selectivity properties for spatio-temporal receptive fields according to the generalized Gaussian derivative model for visual receptive fields
topic Neurons and Cognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08101