Neural correlate of vernier acuity tasks assessed by functional MRI (FMRI)

Vernier acuity refers to the ability to discern a small offset within a line. However, while Vernier acuity has been extensively studied psychophysically, its neural correlates are uncertain. Based upon previous psychophysical and electrophysiologic data, we hypothesized that extrastriate areas of the brain would be involved in Vernier acuity tasks, so we designed event-related functional MRI (fMRI) paradigms to identify cortical regions of the brain involved in this behavior. Normal subjects identified suprathreshold and subthreshold Vernier offsets. The results suggest a cortical network including frontal, parietal, occipital, and cerebellar regions subserves the observation, processing, interpretation, and acknowledgment of briefly presented Vernier offsets.