A Simple Model for Understanding Sensory Perception in the Brain

This project is based on a paper I read in which I thought there was a better way to conduct the experiment. [1]  In the experiment, the researchers were using a live tissue sample of the retina from a salamander, which I thought was a waste of a perfectly good salamander.  It is only necessary to perform a single experiment with live tissue in order to understand the step and impulse responses of the retinal cells.  Together, the step and impulse responses define the transfer function for the system, which is what defines the model.

The model simply processes the input signal using the transfer function. After that, it's infinitely easier to conduct further experiments using the model over and over without having to set up for every new experiment with a fresh sample of live tissue. Because the model is readily reprogrammable, the logic can be reconfigured for an infinite number of experiments.

In the case of light stimulation, the retinal cells output a pulse when the light turns on, and another pulse when the light turns off. In order to have constant stimulation when staring at a scene, or an object, the eye moves rapidly from side to side, effectively painting the image onto the retina. The movements are known as microsaccades. However, the most interesting thing is that visual information is processed in the exact same manner as the sound information.

By using Morse code, it is easy to demonstrate the correlation between the input information, and the output information. It also demonstrates the intermediate processing along the chain. Clearly, this model, in the form of microelectronics, can be used to restore sight in the blind, as well as restore hearing for the deaf.

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