Micah Murray is awarded the Research Prize of the Swiss Brain League
14 March 2014
Profs. Magistretti and Murray
The 2014 Research Prize of the Swiss Brain League (Hirnliga) is awarded to Prof. Micah M. Murray (UNIL-CHUV) and to Prof. Christoph S. Herrmann (University of Oldenburg, Germany).
Vision, and perception more generally, should not be thought of as a camera that just takes pictures of the world. The brain constructs perception and takes advantage of its massive interconnectedness in ways that are highly similar to social networks and railway systems. The construction of perception is not only based on the information the eyes capture, but also on information stored in and interpolated by the brain. The visual system is simultaneously capable of separating scenes into their constituent objects and also grouping together elements belonging to the same object. This happens even when borders are invisible or occluded, giving rise to illusory perceptions. “The magic of illusions is not so much in what we perceive, but rather in how they show off the capacity of our brains to shape perceptions,” explains Prof. Murray, member of Synapsy.
The discoveries of Professors Murray (University of Lausanne and CHUV) and Herrmann (University of Oldenburg, Germany) are likewise important for our understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. For example, deficits in visual processing and perception are increasing recognized as a principal characteristic in patients with schizophrenia. In the next steps of his research, Prof. Murray seeks to apply his results to blind and visually impaired individuals with the objective of helping restore/rehabilitate visual perception.
The award ceremony took place Wednesday March 12, 2014 in the César-Roux auditorium at CHUV. The prize is awarded in the framework of the Brain Awareness Week.
Author : Swiss Brain League /Anne-Muriel Brouet
