Sensory systems adapt to environmental change. It has been argued that adaptation should have the effect of optimizing sensitivity to the new environment. Here we consider a framework in which this premise is made concrete using an economic normative theory of visual motion perception. In this framework, visual systems adapt to the environment by reallocating their limited neural resources. The allocation is optimal when uncertainties about different aspects of stimulation are balanced. This theory makes predictions about visual sensitivity as a function of environmental statistics. Adaptive optimization of the visual system should be manifested as a change in sensitivity for an observer and for the underlying motion-sensitive neurons. We review evidence supporting these predictions and examine effects of adaptation on the neuronal representation of visual motion.

中文翻译：

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视觉灵敏度的自适应优化

感觉系统适应环境变化。有人认为，适应应该具有优化对新环境的敏感性的效果。在这里，我们考虑一个框架，其中使用视觉运动感知的经济规范理论使这一前提具体化。在这个框架中，视觉系统通过重新分配其有限的神经资源来适应环境。当刺激的不同方面的不确定性得到平衡时，分配是最佳的。该理论根据环境统计数据预测视觉敏感度。视觉系统的自适应优化应表现为观察者和潜在运动敏感神经元的灵敏度变化。