Area V4

Area V4 is a region of the visual cortex crucial for processing complex visual features, particularly shape and object recognition. Current research focuses on understanding its functional organization, using techniques like large-scale calcium imaging and deep learning models (including Vision Transformers and hierarchical models) to analyze neuronal responses to natural scenes and identify distinct cell types based on their stimulus preferences. These efforts aim to decipher the neural codes underlying shape representation in V4, bridging the gap between early visual processing and higher-level object recognition. This improved understanding has implications for building more biologically plausible artificial vision systems and advancing our knowledge of visual perception.