Responses of neurons in area VIP to self-induced and external visual motion

Single-unit recordings were obtained from directionally tuned neurons in area VIP (ventral intraparietal) in two rhesus monkeys under conditions of external (passive) and self-induced (active) visual motion. A large majority of neurons showed significant differences in directional tuning for passive and active visual motion with regard to preferred direction and tuning width. The differences in preferred directions are homogeneously distributed between similar and opposite. Generally, VIP neurons are more broadly tuned to passive than to active visual motion. This is most striking for the group of cells with widely different preferred directions in active and passive conditions. Response amplitudes to passive and active visual motion are not different in general, but are slightly smaller for passive visual motion if the preferred directions differ widely. We conclude that VIP neurons can distinguish between passive and active visual motion.