Modeling Orientation Plasticity
Ning Qian, Columbia University

Orientation learning and adaptation can induce changes to orientation tuning
curves of V1 cells.  We investigated how the observed plastic properties may
help differentiate models of orientation selectivity.  Our main finding is
that the recurrent model (RM) of orientation selectivity can reproduce the
plastic changes induced by both learning and adaptation while the modified
feedforward model (MFM) cannot.  We also compared the receptive field
structure predicted by the RM and MFM and found that the two models generate
complex- and simple-cell receptive fields, respectively.  A new model is
proposed that combines the main features of the RM and MFM; this model can
generate cells covering the entire simple to complex cell spectrum and has
the right plastic properties.  Finally, we studied the perceptual
consequences of the observed orientation plasticity.

Joint work with Andy Teich