This volume, with chapters by leading researchers in the field, is devoted to early vision and attention, that is, to the first stages of visual information processing. This state-of-the-art look at biological neural networks spans the many subfields, such as computational and experimental neuroscience; anatomy and physiology; visual information processing and scene segmentation; perception at illusory contours; control of visual attention; and paradigms for computing with spiking neurons.

With no effort we can scan a scene by directing our attention and gaze at specific objects, discerning them despite the background of other objects, contours, shadows, and changes in illumination. How all this can be done is discussed in this volume, which is devoted to early vision and attention, that is, to the first stages of visual information processing.

1 Neurons, Networks, and Cognition: An Introduction to Neural Modeling.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Neurons.- 1.3 Local Cortical Network Dynamics.- 1.4 Collective Computation: Associative Memory.- 1.5 Concluding Remarks.- 1.6 Acknowledgments.- 1.7 References.- 2 The Gaze Control System.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 The Gaze Control System in One and Two Dimensions.- 2.3 New Aspects for Eye Rotations in 3D.- 2.4 Mathematics of 3D Rotational Kinematics.- 2.5 Donders' Law and Listing's Law.- 2.6 Head-free Saccadic Gaze Shifts in 3D.- 2.7 Conclusion.- 2.8 References.- 3 Integrating Anatomy and Physiology of the Primary Visual Pathway: From LGN to Cortex.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 The LGN.- 3.3 Models of the LGN.- 3.4 The Visual Cortex.- 3.5 Models of the Visual Cortex.- 3.6 References.- 4 Neural Principles of Preattentive Scene Segmentation: Hints from Cortical Recordings, Related Models, and Perception.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Properties of Synchronized Fast Cortical Oscillations (FCOs).- 4.3 Coding Contour Continuity.- 4.4 Coding Region Continuity.- 4.5 Coding the Separation of Adjacent Regions.- 4.6 Spatially Restricted Synchronization Among FCOs.- 4.7 Additional Properties of FCOs.- 4.8 Stimulus-Locked Scene Segmentation.- 4.9 Early Labeling of Visual Objects by FCO- or Rate-Coherence?.- 4.10 Appendix.- 4.11 References.- 5 Figure-Ground Segregation and Brightness Perception at Illusory Contours: A Neuronal Model.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Methods.- 5.3 Results.- 5.4 Discussion.- 5.5 Acknowledgment.- 5.6 References.- 6 Controlling the Focus of Visual Selective Attention.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 A Computational Model of The Dorsal Pathway.- 6.3 Simulation Results.- 6.4 Discussion.- 6.5 References.- 7 Activity-Gating Attentional Networks.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Activity-GatingNetworks.- 7.3 Results.- 7.4 Discussion.- 7.5 References.- 8 Timing and Counting Precision in the Blowfly Visual System.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Signal, Noise and Information Transmission in a Modulated Poisson Process.- 8.3 The Early Stages of Fly Vision.- 8.4 Coding in a Blowfly Motion Sensitive Neuron.- 8.5 Discussion and Conclusions.- 8.6 References.- 9 Paradigms for Computing with Spiking Neurons.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 A Formal Computational Model for a Network of Spiking Neurons.- 9.3 McCulloch-Pitts Neurons versus Spiking Neurons.- 9.4 Computing with Temporal Patterns.- 9.5 Computing with a Space-Rate Code.- 9.6 Analog Computation on Time Series in a Space-Rate Code.- 9.7 Computing with Firing Rates.- 9.8 Firing Rates and Temporal Correlations.- 9.9 Networks of Spiking Neurons for Storing and Retrieving Information.- 9.10 Computing on Spike Trains.- 9.11 Conclusions.- 9.12 References.