Michael J. Hawken

Neuronal mechanisms of visual perception

My main research interest is defining the role of cortical neurons in visual processing. This work includes physiological and anatomical studies in the primate visual pathways, mainly the primary visual cortex. In conjunction with these physiological studies, I collaborate in studies that relate pursuit eye movements to perceptual performance.

Our general approach is to make quantitative measurements of visual receptive fields of cells in the visual cortex, with an aim towards the development and testing of models against quantitative data. In collaboration with Robert Shapley our recent studies have concentrated on three main areas: the generation of orientation selectivity, the coding of chromatic properties of visual neurons and the effects of the non-classical receptive field on the dynamics and selectivity of the classical receptive field.

I have a long-term interest in defining features of cortical organization by determining the functional properties of neurons within the cortical circuit. Recently, using the technique of juxtacellular recording, we have been successful in labeling physiologically characterized neurons and subsequently recovering their dendritic and axonal morphology.

E-mail: mjh@cns.nyu.edu

Representative Publications

Hawken, M.J., Shapley, R.M., Sceniak, M.P., Ringach, D.L. & Johnson, E.N. (2001) Contrast gain, area summation and temporal tuning in primate visual cortex. In: Vision and Attention. ed M. Jenkin & L. Harris. pp 41-62. Springer-Verlag, New York.

Sceniak, M.P., Hawken, M.J. & Shapley, R.M. (2001) Visual spatial characterization of macaque V1 neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology, 85, 1873-1888.

Hawken, M.J. & Gegenfurtner, K.R. (2001) Pursuit eye movements to second-order motion targets. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 18, 2282-2296.

Johnson, E.N., Shapley, R.M. & Hawken, M.J. (2001) The spatial transformation of color in the primary visual cortex of the macaque monkey. Nature Neuroscience, 4, 409- 416.

Paninski, L. & Hawken, M.J. (2001) Stochastic optimal control and the human oculomotor system. Neurocomputing, 38-40, 1511-1517.

Ringach, D.L., Hawken, M.J. & Shapley R.M. (2002) Receptive field structure of neurons in monkey primary visual cortex revealed by stimulation with natural image sequences. Journal of Vision, 2, 12-24.

Ringach, D.L., Bredfeldt, C.E., Shapley, R.M. & Hawken, M.J. (2002) Suppression of neural responses to non-optimal stimuli enhances tuning selectivity in macaque V1. Journal of Neurophysiology, 87, 1018-1027.

Ringach, D.L., Shapley, R.M. & Hawken, M.J. (2002) Diversity and laminar specialization of orientation selectivity in macaque V1. Journal of Neuroscience, 22, 5639-5651.

Shapley, R. & Hawken, M.J. (2002) Neural mechanisms for color perception in the primary visual cortex. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12, 426-432

Sceniak, M.P., Hawken, M.J. & Shapley, R.M. (2002) Contrast dependent changes in spatial frequency tuning: effects of a changing receptive field size. Journal of Neurophysiology, 88, 1363-1373.

Ringach, D.L., Hawken, M.J. & Shapley, R.M. (2003) Dynamics of orientation tuning in macaque V1: the role of global and tuned suppression. Journal of Neurophysiology, 90, 342 - 352.

Shapley, R.M., Hawken, M.J. & Ringach, D.L. (2003) Dynamics of orientation tuning in primary visual cortex and the importance of cortical inhibition. Neuron 38, 689-699.

Kiorpes, L., Tang, C., Hawken, M.J. & Movshon, J.A. (2003) Ideal observer analysis of the development of spatial contrast sensitivity in macaque monkeys. Journal of Vision 3, 630-641.

Gegenfurtner, K.R., Scott, B., Xing, D. & Hawken, M.J. (2003) A comparison of pursuit eye movements and perecptual performance in speed discrimination. Journal of Vision 3, 665-876.

Johnson, E.N., Hawken, M.J. & Shapley, R.M. (2004) Cone inputs in macaque primary visual cortex. Journal of Neurophysiology 91, 2501-2514

Xing, D., Ringach, D.L., Shapley R.M. & Hawken M.J. (2004) Correlation of local and global orientation and spatial frequency tuning in macaque V1. Journal of Physiology 557, 923-933.

Williams, P.E., Mechler, F., Gordon, J., Shapley, R.M. & Hawken, M.J. (2004) Entrainment to video displays in primary visual cortex of macaque and humans. Journal of Neuroscience 24: 8278-8288.

Movshon, J.A., Kiorpes, L., Hawken, M.J. & Cavanaugh, J.R. (2005) Maturation of the macaque's lateral geniculate neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 25: 2112-2122.

Xing, D., Shapley R.M., Hawken M.J. & Ringach, D.L. (2005) The effect of stimulus size on the dynamics of orientation selectivity in Macaque V1. Journal of Neurophysiology 94: 799-812.

Spering, M., Kerzel, D., Braun, D.I., Hawken, M.J. & Gegenfurtner, K.R. (2005) Effects of contrast on smooth pursuit eye movements. Journal of Vision 5: 455-465.