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Motion processing: the most sensitive detectors differ in temporally localized and extended noise
Rémy Allard1, Jocelyn Faubert2
1INSERM, U968 Paris, France ; Institut de la Vision, UMR_S 968, Sorbonne Universités - Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris, France ; CNRS, UMR_7210 Paris, France.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 27, 2014
Summary
Visual processing of orientation and direction relies on different neural detectors depending on noise. Temporally extended noise reveals similar thresholds, suggesting dual labeling, while localized noise shows higher direction thresholds, indicating orientation-only detectors are dominant.
Area of Science:
- Visual Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Orientation and direction discrimination thresholds are typically similar, suggesting shared neural detectors.
- Localized noise, unlike noiseless conditions, elevates direction discrimination thresholds, implying different underlying neural processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how noise characteristics (spatial and temporal extent) affect orientation and direction discrimination thresholds.
- To determine if the most sensitive neural detectors are labeled for both orientation and direction or only orientation under different noise conditions.
Main Methods:
- Contrast thresholds for orientation and direction discrimination were measured under four conditions: noiseless, spatially localized noise, spatially extended noise, temporally localized noise, and temporally extended noise.
- The study manipulated the spatiotemporal properties of the masking noise to isolate its effects.
Main Results:
- Similar orientation and direction discrimination thresholds were observed in noiseless conditions and with temporally extended noise.
- Significantly higher direction discrimination thresholds compared to orientation thresholds were found in temporally localized noise.
Conclusions:
- Noiseless and temporally extended noise engage neural detectors sensitive to both orientation and direction (e.g., direction-selective complex cells).
- Temporally localized noise preferentially engages orientation-selective detectors (e.g., simple cells), leading to higher direction thresholds.
- Future research on motion processing using external noise should employ temporally extended noise to maintain noise-invariant processing assumptions.
