Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Cracking the neural code of human object vision

Project description

Unveiling the neural code of visual object recognition

We visually perceive the objects in our visual world effortlessly and speedily, allowing us to interact with the world. However, the neural dynamics responsible for object recognition remain unknown. The EU-funded CRACK project will address this fundamental issue through an unprecedented approach. It will combine brain imaging methods, advanced multivariate analysis techniques and state-of-the-art computational modelling to unveil the working of the visual brain. Researchers will study neural activity and unveil the flow of information between visual regions with precision in both space and time. They will further investigate how brain activity guides behaviour through which we interact with the world.

Objective

At each blink of our eyes, our brain rapidly transforms the stream of photons hitting the retina into a conscious percept of the world as consisting of meaningful objects that guide our actions to ensure survival. Yet, in spite of intense research three interrelated, fundamental, long-standing and open questions about how neural dynamics mediate object recognition remain unanswered: How exactly do the core cortical regions active during vision represent objects? How and what do those regions communicate? How does the observed activity mediate adaptive behavior? The overall goal of the program CRACK is to crack the neural code of object vision by addressing those three fundamental questions. For this, CRACK will integrate in an unprecedented manner cutting-edge, non-invasive brain imaging methods, advanced multivariate analysis techniques and state-of-the-art computational modelling in an ambitious three-step interdisciplinary work program. Each step is marked by innovation that breaks new ground and opens new horizons at the next step. First, CRACK will unravel the unique representational format of each core cortical region using an unprecedented brain mapping approach that combines brain imaging with artificial deep neural networks (DNNs). Second, it will clarify the flow of information between visual regions that creates these representations with unseen spatiotemporal precision by resolving neural activity in both cortical layers and frequency channels using a combination of functional MRI (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Third, it will use advanced multivariate methods linking brain activity and behavior to reveal which aspects of the newly described neural dynamics drive human choice behavior. By breaking down current knowledge boundaries, CRACK will provide the empirical evidence for a new theory of the neural dynamics underlying human visual object recognition, and transform the way we think about and investigate sensory processing.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG

See all projects funded under this call

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.

€ 1 480 576,00
Address
KAISERSWERTHER STRASSE 16-18
14195 BERLIN
Germany

See on map

Region
Berlin Berlin Berlin
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
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.

€ 1 480 576,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0