Neural tuning functions

…a classical view of highly stereotyped neural tuning functions with smooth, unimodal tuning fields that uniformly tile the environment. However, recent experiments conducted in large spaces across multiple species have revealed a much more irregular neural code than suggested by the classical view. Indeed, place cells in large environments typically fire in multiple locations, and the multiple firing fields of individual cells, as well as those of the entire population, vary considerably in size and shape. We recently sh

To decipher the algorithm of perception, it is important to characterize neural tuning functions and identify the directions of maximal sensitivity and invariance to stimulus features. To this end, parametric stimuli are typically used, but they make strong assumptions about the stimulus features to which neurons are selective and invariant. Recently, the “inception loop” paradigm was developed, which combines large-scale neuronal recordings with deep learning system identification models which are trained to predict the responses of neurons to arbitrary stimuli. Inception loops have been used