To determine how visual perception is processed by the brain and how
visually guided eye movements are generated.
Methods:
The methods used in the Schiller
lab are:
Physiological studies
in non-human primates that utilize single-cell recordings, microstimulation, pharmacological manipulation,
tissue inactivation and ablation.
Behavioral studies in
normal human subjects, in patients with brain infarcts, and in non-human
primates that examine visual and oculomotor capacities.
Brain regions studied:
During the past 35 years, numerous brain areas of several species have
been studied in the Schiller Lab that include the retina, the lateral
geniculate nucleus, the superior colliculus, the parabigeminal nucleus,
the pre-tectum, areas V1, V2, V3, V4, the middle temporal area, the lateral
intraparietal area, inferotemporal cortex, the frontal eye fields and
the medial eye fields. The results have been reported in more than 150
publications and have involved more than 40 investigators.
Research on the visual system examines its operational characteristics
with special emphasis on objects recognition, depth perception, and
the characterization of parallel information processing channels.
Research on the oculomotor system examines its operational characteristics
with special emphasis on determining what the roles are of various
cortical areas in the generation of visually guided eye movements.