Latest research in the brain: This is how Regensburg scientists decode visual processes!

Latest research in the brain: This is how Regensburg scientists decode visual processes!

Angelika Lingnau from the University of Regensburg and Nancy Kanwisher of the MIT McGovern Institute recently received a major grant from the MIT Germany – University of Regensburg Seed Fund program. This funding will enable the research team to explore the complex visual systems of the human brain in more depth.

The main goal of their research is to gain a better understanding of how the brain processes visual information. The team aims to find out how these processes help us interpret the world around us and act accordingly. These studies follow a data-driven approach based on the advanced method of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The basics of functional magnetic resonance imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, also known as fMRI, is a special form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It was developed based on the work of the physicist Kenneth Kwong and measures changes in tissue blood flow in various brain regions. This happens through the BOLD effect, which is derived from the ratio between oxygen-rich (oxyhemoglobin) and oxygen-poor blood (deoxyhemoglobin). While active nerve cells require more energy, this leads to increased blood flow in certain areas of the brain.

The technology represents functional processes in the brain in the form of series of cross-sectional images and can determine nerve cell activities down to millimeter-precise localizations. It is therefore not only versatile in medical diagnostics, but also plays an important role in brain research and psychiatry.

Research approach and objectives

In their research project, Lingnau and Kanwisher aim to let the data speak for itself. While previous studies focused more on specific categories such as faces or tools and followed a hypothesis-driven approach, the current project aims to re-examine the functional organization of the ventral and lateral processing pathways in the brain.

In particular, the team analyzes critical features of the lateral processing path and compares these with the ventral path. This comprehensive analysis aims to help understand how the different brain systems contribute to understanding the visual world and how they help us navigate this proprioceptive environment.

The MIT-Germany – University of Regensburg Seed Fund was launched in 2019 to promote collaborations between the two institutions and thus enable research projects that have both scientific and practical relevance.

In summary, the work of Lingnau and Kanwisher is not only important for basic research, but also has potential for applications in clinical diagnostics and therapy. In the future, their innovative approaches could provide crucial insights into human cognition and visual perception that go far beyond current research approaches.