Brain activation during dichoptic presentation of optic flow stimuli

The processing of optic flow fields in motion-sensitive areas in human visual cortex was studied with BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) contrast in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects binocularly viewed optic flow fields in plane (monoptic) or in stereo depth (dichoptic) with various degrees of disparity and increasing radial speed. By varying the directional properties of the stimuli (expansion, spiral motion, random), we explored whether the BOLD effect reflected neuronal responses to these different forms of optic flow. The results suggest that BOLD contrast as assessed by fMRI methods reflects the neural processing of optic flow information in motion-sensitive cortical areas. Furthermore, small but replicable disparity-selective responses were found in parts of Brodmann's area 19.