Understanding how the brain and artificial systems process dynamic visuals
Official title: CRCNS: Unraveling the visual system's temporal code for dynamic scene processing
Funded at Carnegie-Mellon University · NIH-11418520 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how the brain and AI can recognize moving scenes and objects, with potential implications for diagnosing and treating visual disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Carnegie-Mellon University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $431,202 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY037194-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418520 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with visual processing disorders or neurodegenerative conditions affecting vision may benefit from future translational applications of this research.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals without visual processing disorders may have limited direct benefit from this particular study.
What this research studies
This project at Carnegie Mellon University will build and test a computational model to predict how visual areas like V4 respond to changing video scenes. By mapping the brain’s temporal processing of visual features, the work aims to uncover circuits that could be targeted for therapies or assistive devices for visual disorders. The team plans to relate neural activity to dynamic video inputs and explore how this knowledge could guide the development of visual prostheses or other treatments for conditions that disrupt vision. The research combines neuroscience, eye- and brain-inspired modeling, and machine-learning techniques to illuminate how motion and changing perspectives are encoded in the brain. If successful, findings could inform better diagnosis and future interventions for patients with vison-related neurodegenerative changes or other visual processing disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Insights from this work could lead to new diagnostic approaches and assistive technologies for people with visual processing disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has advanced understanding of early visual cortex processing, but translating this to higher-order areas and dynamic scenes is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
-
Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Matthew a — Carnegie-Mellon University
- Study coordinator: Smith, Matthew a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.