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A theory and model of the neural transformations mediating human object perception

Project description

A closer look at the secrets of object perception

In the blink of an eye, our brain rapidly translates photons hitting our retina into a detailed percept of the world filled with objects. Yet, the precise neural transformations enabling this rich object perception remains a mystery, despite research efforts. Understanding how these transformations occur is crucial for deciphering the meaning of the visual world around us. The ERC-funded TRANSFORM project will explore the neural mechanisms behind rich object perception. By mapping these transformations from infancy to adulthood, TRANSFORM aims to forge a predictive model bridging brain activity and behaviour. Using brain imaging, mathematical analysis, and deep learning, it seeks to redefine our understanding of human vision and cognition.

Objective

In the blink of an eye our brain rapIn the blink of an eye our brain rapidly transforms the photons hitting our retina into a rich and detailed percept of the world as consisting of objects. By knowing what the objects are, and in what configuration these objects appear to us, we understand the meaning of the visual world around us. Yet, despite intense research how neural transformations enable rich object perception remains unclear. The overall goal of the research program TRANSFORM is to provide an explanatory theory of the neural transformations mediating rich object perception, and a predictive quantitative model embodying this theory.

Towards this goal TRANSFORM will provide three strong and novel constraints for theory and model building. First, TRANSFORM will reveal the neural transformations underlying visual object perception in the mature brain, providing the neural constraint. Second, it will unravel the link between the neural transformation and object-related behaviour, providing the behavioural constraint. Third, it will clarify the developmental trajectory of neural transformations underlying visual object perception from infancy into adulthood, providing the developmental constraint. For maximal efficiency and power in unified theory formation and model building, TRANSFORM will employ an integrated, interdisciplinary research strategy that combines i) large-scale non-invasive brain imaging to capture neural transformations in space and time with unprecedented depth, ii) advanced mathematical analysis to reveal the geometry of the transformations, and iii) computational modelling using deep neural networks to build a predictive, quantitative model of those transformations.

Through this orchestrated effort TRANSFORM will provide the empirical pieces of evidence for a new theory and model of the neural transformations mediating our rich everyday experience of object vision and change the way we think about and investigate human vision and cognition.

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2023-COG

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Host institution

FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 291 855,00
Address
KAISERSWERTHER STRASSE 16-18
14195 BERLIN
Germany

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Region
Berlin Berlin Berlin
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 291 855,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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