Rats are able to see moving objects in a sophisticated way and much like primates, thanks to a small number of neurons that allow them to correctly perceive the direction of movement. The discovery by the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, published in the journal Science Advances, could inspire the development of innovative computer vision systems, as well as the possibility of better understanding diseases in which vision is impaired.
"Estimating the direction in which an object is moving is a very complicated operation," observes Davide Zoccolan, who leads the research, whose first author is Giulio Matteucci. "It's as if neurons break down the image of an object into many small components, a process that poses a problem with the perception of movement. In fact," Zoccolan continues, "it is as if we saw what surrounds us through a small hole: the real and complete movement of objects would escape us." For this reason, the signals provided by these neurons are sent from the visual cortex to higher areas of the brain for further processing. They thus reach a type of specialised neurons called 'pattern cells', which allow them to see the movement of objects in a complete and realistic way.
With the help of Artificial Intelligence, the authors of the study discovered the presence of these pattern cells also in the brains of rats: rodents, therefore, would be able to see moving objects in a similar way to humans. "This is despite the fact that there are clear differences between these species," Zoccolan points out: "In rodents, this type of cell is in fact very small in number and is found scattered, not aggregated in specific areas as is the case in our brain."
The research, notes Zoccolan, has verified "how a visual system that is much simpler and much less hierarchical than ours is still equipped with high-level neurons for encoding moving objects." This, he continues, "could stimulate new computational studies and inspire new computer vision architectures." Finally, on the biomedical research front, the result indicates that rats "have similar functions to ours and therefore can be excellent models".
All rights reserved © Copyright ANSA