Dual-feature selectivity enables bidirectional coding in visual cortical neurons.

Dual-feature encoding in macaque V1 and V4 neurons is linked to two distinct visual features—one that enhances and one that suppresses firing—around an elevated baseline rate.

• Why it matters: The work addresses how sensory neurons represent stimuli beyond simple “preferred increases, others silence,” and how inhibitory circuitry may expand representational capacity.
• What they did: The authors combined macaque neuronal recordings with functional digital twin models using deep learning to predict each neuron’s preferred and non-preferred features, then mapped activity along a low-dimensional axis in natural image similarity space.
• The result: Neuronal activity varied approximately linearly along that axis, and within each visual area strongly or weakly activating features were linked to high-probability modulation of other neurons; the strategy was conserved in mouse primary and lateral visual areas.

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