Simulation of physiological signal processing mechanisms in the visual tract

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate some of the basic physiological mechanisms associated with information processing in the primate visual tract and to apply the concepts developed from the investigation to image processing and pattern recognition tasks. The main hypothesis that is pursued is that physiological information processing systems multiplex information in a time-varying output waveform. Computer simulations that incorporate parameters derived from the neural processes and structures of neuron ensembles that give rise to time-varying output signals are investigated. The simulations include shape analysis, shift invariance, and rotation invariance. Examples of the time-varying neuron output waveforms and the time-varying spatial firing patterns are used to demonstrate the information encoding and transmission.