A Deep Dive to Illuminate V4 Neurons.

Neurons in the primate cortical area V4 have been recognized as being selective for intermediate-level visual features, including shape, texture, and color. But, there is no a priori reason why V4 neurons should respond to easily describable categories of visual stimuli. In a recent study Bashivan et al. (Science, 2019) used an artificial neural network to synthesize images that acted as 'super-stimuli' for recorded neurons in V4, pushing the boundaries of known neural responses in this brain region and raising broader questions about the potential for synergies between biological and artificial neural networks.