Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
Neuronal response to texture- and contrast-defined boundaries in early visual cortex
1McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Abstract:
Natural scenes contain a variety of visual cues that facilitate boundary perception (e.g., luminance, contrast, and texture). Here we explore whether single neurons in early visual cortex can process both contrast and texture cues. We recorded neural responses in cat A18 to both illusory contours formed by abutting gratings (ICs, texture-defined) and contrast-modulated gratings (CMs, contrast-defined). We found that if a neuron responded to one of the two stimuli, it also responded to the other. These neurons signaled similar contour orientation, spatial frequency, and movement direction of the two stimuli. A given neuron also exhibited similar selectivity for spatial frequency of the fine, stationary grating components (carriers) of the stimuli. These results suggest that the cue-invariance of early cortical neurons extends to different kinds of texture or contrast cues, and might arise from a common nonlinear mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
Vision
Visual System
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Anatomy of the Eyeball
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Somatosensation
The Retina

