Representation of spatial details in textured patterns by cells of the cat striate cortex

The ability of single cells to represent the spatial details of textured stimuli was investigated. Two complementary aspects of cell response were considered, the ability to discriminate fine stimulus details and the property of integration over wider areas of a structure to encode differences in mean luminance. Responses of simple and complex cells were distinct in some respects. Spatial discrimination: Simple cells would encode orientation of line arrays as long as individual line elements could be spatially resolved. By contrast, complex cells were able to distinguish the orientation of texture areas even when the individual lines of the stimulus were not resolved in their response. Threshold sensitivity for texture orientation was of the same order in both cell classes despite differences in receptive field size. Spatial integration: Complex cells responded to texture luminance differences of much coarser patterns than did simple cells. These responses, however, were not biased for contour orientation unless finer patterns were used. Only with very fine textures did responses become indistinguishable from those to uniform stimuli for both simple and complex cells. For complex cells, there was a smooth transition from resolution to fusion of spatial details with increasing structural density. Simple cells were insensitive to both detailed and global properties of a stimulus pattern over a wide range of texture density. Implications for alternative measures of visual acuity of single cells are discussed.