Context integration in visual processing : a computational model of center-surround suppression in the visual system

[Poster presentation]. A dysfunction of GABAergic neurotransmission is hypothesized to be an important factor in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia [1], depression and anxiety disorders. Findings of decreased center-surround suppression (CSS, i.e. the mutual inhibition of a focal visual stimulus and its surrounding) have been interpreted in terms of GABAergic dysfunction [2]. Consistently, strongly decreased CSS is reported in schizophrenic patients [3]. However, the underlying mechanisms of this decrease remain unclear