Border-ownership-dependent tilt aftereffect

J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis. 2005 Oct;22(10):2222-9. doi: 10.1364/josaa.22.002222.

Abstract

Single-cell recordings from macaque visual cortex have shown orientation-selective neurons in area in V2 code for border ownership [J. Neurosci. 20, 6594 (2000)]: Each piece of contrast border is represented by two pools of neurons whose relative firing rate indicates the side of border ownership. Here we show that the human visual cortex uses a similar coding scheme by demonstrating a border-ownership-contingent tilt aftereffect. The aftereffect was specific for the adapted location, indicating that the adapted neurons have small receptive fields. We conclude that figure-ground organization is represented by border-ownership-selective neurons at early stages in the human visual cortex.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Ocular / physiology*
  • Color Perception Tests
  • Form Perception / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Photic Stimulation / methods*
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / physiology
  • Sensory Thresholds / physiology*
  • Visual Cortex / physiology*
  • Visual Fields / physiology
  • Visual Pathways / physiology*