Neural mechanisms of visual quality perception and adaptability in the visual pathway.

ABSTRACT: Visual quality assessment (VQA) is indispensable in multimedia for evaluating algorithm effectiveness and optimizing systems, yet its neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigate how the brain processes varying image qualities, revealing specialized mechanisms for handling low-quality stimuli. Results show that low quality significantly impacts semantic encoding along the visual pathway: low-level regions exhibit only 35.20% of the semantic information seen in high-quality condition, while higher-level regions compensate adaptively to maintain understanding. Visual quality is not locally encoded but emerges from inter-regional information gaps, with perception arising from this hierarchical discrepancy. Leveraging t

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12745989 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature