Abstract
Optical imaging based on intrinsic signals has been widely used in the studies on the functional organization of cortex. Due to the poor temporal resolution of the signal which is caused by the property of the cortical tissue, the temporal information of the cortical intrinsic signal has been largely untouched. In this study, we proposed a method based on the temporal correlation between the presentation of stimulus and the cortical optical responseto visualize the dynamics of neuronal activity, and applied the method in the study of cat primary visual cortex. With the help of the proposed method, we have successfully mapped the metabolic changes associated with the stimulus-driven activity of underlying cortical neurons, and furthermore succeeded in revealing the temporal relation across various cortical areas. The results approved the usefulness of the proposed method and demonstrate the dynamics of optical signals evoked by the presentation of the visual stimuli.
