Retinal Computation

...this book is also a unique overview of our current understanding of the why and the how of retinal computation and there is something here for anyone with a grounding in vision science who recognises that there is more to what the retina does than... meets the eye. -- Prof Steven Dakin, New Zealand Optics, May 28, 2022. I want to commend Dr. Schwartz for assembling this incredible resource and strongly recommend Retinal Computation to everyone who is a student of vision. The vast majority of modern topics in retina are covered yet in a fashion that is clear, and concise. The book covers the cellular and circuit basis of computations ranging from those covered by most textbooks, such as center-surround receptive field or direction selectivity , to those you probably do not associated with the retina such as motion anticipation and threat detection . Each chapter is self-contained, meaning you can easily pick and choose the topics. A quick perusal of the chapter titles are almost certainly going to pique your interest. For example, you may know that the retina has single photon sensitivity but do you know How many photons does it take to create a percept ? (Chapter 1). How does the retina encode texture (i.e. spatial fluctuations within the receptive field)? (Chapter 7). Is object motion sensitivity related to Direction selectivity? (Chapter 12). The list goes on. This book will also serve as a great resource for those teaching advanced undergraduate or graduate level vision courses for students with backgrounds in experimental or computational vision science. Each chapter contains what Dr. Schwartz's considers a landmark paper in the field, with a set of questions that can be used as a guide for reading these papers. And finally he includes programming exercises that can be easily implemented in Matlab to address basic concepts introduced in the chapter. The instructions are detailed so that even those new to Matlab will be able to implement these exercises these straightforward. It is this combination - textbook chapter + primary literature + quantitative exercises that will solidify these concepts. There are many vision science topics not covered in the book. For example, there is little on retinal disease or development. But these limitations are far outweighed by where the book succeeds. The vast majority of the book is written by Dr. Schwartz, giving it a uniformity that is welcome. Despite tackling quite modern questions where there is ongoing progress, Dr.Schwartz has extracted what are key findings that are likely to stand the test of time. And finally, it is really interesting! For those who think that the retina is solved , think again. Retinal computations is a fantastic way for all circuit neuroscientist to learn how much computations can be achieved with very few synapses. -- Marla B. Feller, Ph. D., Paul Licht Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute University of California, Berkeley This fantastic new textbook from a rising star in the field clearly and thoroughly updates our picture of what the retina computes. It is detailed enough for senior researchers but also pedagogical, providing a go-to reference for students. The illustrations within the text and for the chapter headings are both beautiful and informative. -- Stephanie E. Palmer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Department of Physics, University of Chicago This book summarizes the impressive recent progress in understanding how visual computations are performed by retinal circuits. The book is an important resource not only for retinal experts, but more generally for anyone seeking to explain how the brain works at the level of neural circuits. Greg Schwartz and his co-authors have made a major contribution to the field. -- Sebastian Seung, Anthony B. Evnin '62 Professor, Neuroscience Institute and Computer Science Dept., Princeton University This is a wonderful book from a true expert in the retina field. It is a fantastic resource for researchers, lecturers, and students alike. The book nicely covers the many facets of how the retina processes the visual input that enters the eye. Despite the richness in material, the presentation manages to stay accessible and always connects back to fundamental questions of visual processing. Each chapter by itself is a great entry point into a particular area of how the neural network of the retina deals with a specific set of visual challenges. I have thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful overview of retinal computation, served on a silver platter, and I will use the book both as background material for research and as a resource for teaching. I particularly like the sets of exercises that conclude each chapter. -- Dr. Tim Gollisch, Professor for Sensory Processing in the Retina, Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Goettingen