Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-5r2nc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T04:21:34.207Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Chromatic properties of neurons in macaque MT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Karl R. Gegenfurtner ,
Daniel C. Kiper ,
Jack M. H. Beusmans ,
Matteo Carandini ,
Qasim Zaidi  and
J. Anthony Movshon
Karl R. Gegenfurtner
Affiliation:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University, New York Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York
Daniel C. Kiper
Affiliation:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University, New York Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York
Jack M. H. Beusmans
Affiliation:
Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York
Matteo Carandini
Affiliation:
Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York
Qasim Zaidi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York
J. Anthony Movshon
Affiliation:
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University, New York Department of Psychology, New York University, New York
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We have studied the responses of MT neurons to moving gratings, spatially modulated in luminance and chromaticity. Most MT neurons responded briskly and with high contrast sensitivity to targets whose luminance was modulated, with or without added chromatic contrast. When luminance modulation was removed and only chromatic stimulation was used, the responses of all MT neurons were attenuated. Most were completely unresponsive to stimulation with targets whose modulation fell within a “null” plane in color space; these null planes varied from neuron to neuron, but all lay close to the plane of constant photometric luminance. For about a third of the neurons, there was no color direction in which responses were completely abolished; almost all of these neurons had a definite minimum response for chromatic modulation near the isoluminant plane. MT neurons that responded to isoluminant targets did so inconsistently and with poor contrast sensitivity, so that only intensely modulated targets were effective. Whereas the best thresholds of MT neurons for luminance targets are close to behavioral contrast threshold, the thresholds for isoluminant targets lie considerably above behavioral contrast threshold. Therefore, although some MT neurons do give responses to isoluminant targets, they are unlikely to be the source of the chromatic motion signals revealed behaviorally.

Keywords

IsoluminanceMotionColorMacaqueMT
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , May 1994 , pp. 455 - 466
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albright, T.D. (1984). Direction and orientation selectivity of neurons in visual area MT of the macaque. Journal of Neurophysiology 52, 1106–1130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Albright, T.D. (1987). Isoluminant motion processing in macaque visual area MT. Society of Neuroscience Abstracts 13, 1626.Google Scholar
Britten, K.H., Shadlen, M.N., Newsome, W.T. & Movshon, J.A. (1992). The analysis of visual motion: A comparison of neuronal and psychophysical performance. Journal of Neuroscience 12, 4745–4765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boynton, R.M. (1979). Human Color Vision. New York: Holt, Rine-hart and Winston.Google Scholar
Cavanagh, P. & Anstis, S. (1991). The contribution of color to motion in normal and color-deficient observers. Vision Research 31, 2109–2148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaparro, A., Stromeyer, C.F. III, Huang, E.P., Kronauer, R.E. & Eskew, R.T. (1993). Colour is what the eye sees best. Nature 361, 348–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charles, E.R. & Logothetis, N.K. (1989). The responses of middle-temporal (MT) neurons to isoluminant stimuli. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (Suppl.) 30, 427.Google Scholar
Derrington, A.M. & Henning, G.B. (1993). Detecting and discriminating the direction of motion of luminance and colour gratings. Vision Research 33, 799–811.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Derrington, A.M., Krauskopf, J. & Lennie, P. (1984). Chromatic mechanisms in lateral geniculate nucleus of macaque. Journal of Physiology 357, 241–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Valois, R.L., Morgan, H.C., Polson, M., Mead, W.R. & Hull, E. (1974). Psychophysical studies of monkey vision –I. Macaque luminosity and color vision tests. Vision Research 14, 53–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dobkins, K.R. & Albright, T.D. (1990). Color facilitates motion correspondence in visual area MT. Society of Neuroscience Abstracts 16, 1220.Google Scholar
Dobkins, K.R. & Albright, T.D. (1991 a). What happens if it changes color when it moves? Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 32, 823.Google Scholar
Dobkins, K.R. & Albright, T.D. (1991 b). The use of color- and luminance-defined edges for motion correspondence. Society of Neuroscience Abstracts 17, 524.Google Scholar
Eisner, A. & MacLeod, D.I.A. (1980). Blue-sensitive cones do not contribute to luminance. Journal of the Optical Society of America 70, 121–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finney, D.J. (1971). Probit analysis. 3rd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gallyas, F. (1979). Silver staining of myelin by means of physical development. Neurological Research 1, 203–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gegenfurtner, K.R. & Hawken, M.J. (1992). Cone contributions to motion detection and identification. OSA Technical Digest 23, 62.Google Scholar
Hubel, D.H. & Livingstone, M.S. (1987). Segregation of form, color, and stereopsis in primate area 18. Journal of Neuroscience 7, 3378–3415.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiorpes, L. (1992). Development of vernier acuity and grating acuity in normally reared monkeys. Visual Neuroscience 9, 243–251.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiorpes, L., Kiper, D.C. & Movshon, J.A. (1993). Contrast sensitivity and vernier acuity in amblyopic monkeys. Vísion Research 33, 2301–2311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krauskopf, J., Williams, D.R. & Heeley, D.W. (1982). Cardinal directions of color space. Vision Research 22, 1123–1131.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, J. & Stromeyer, C.F. III (1989). Contributions of human shortwave cones to luminance and motion detection. Journal of Physiology 413, 563–593.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lennle, P., Sclar, G. & Krauskopf, J. (1990). Chromatic mechanisms in striate cortex of macaque. Journal of Neuroscience 10, 649–669.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindsey, D.T. & Teller, D.Y. (1990). Motion at isoluminance: Discrimination/detection ratios for moving isoluminant gratings. Vision Research 30, 1751–1761.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, M.S. & Hubel, D.H. (1984). Anatomy and physiology of a color system in the primate visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 4, 309–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, M.S. & Hubel, D.H. (1987). Psychophysical evidence for separate channels for the perception of form, color, movement, and depth. Journal of Neuroscience 7, 3416–3468.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Logothetis, N.K., Schiller, P.H., Charles, E.R. & Hurlbert, A.C. (1990). Perceptual deficits and the role of color-opponent and broadband channels in vision. Science 247, 214–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacLeod, D.I.A. & Boynton, R.M. (1979). Chromaticity diagram showing cone excitation by stimuli of equal luminance. Journal of the Optical Society of America 69, 1183–1186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maunsell, J.H.R., Nealey, T.A. & DePriest, D.D. (1990). Magno-cellular and parvocellular contributions to responses in the middle temporal visual area (MT) of the macaque monkey. Journal of Neuroscience 10, 3323–3334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merigan, W.H., Byrne, C.E. & Maunsell, J.H.R. (1991). Does primate motion perception depend on the magnocellular pathway? Journal of Neuroscience 11, 3422–3429.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Merrill, E.G. & Ainsworth, A. (1972). Glass-coated platinum-plated tungsten microelectrode. Medical and Biological Engineering 10, 495–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Movshon, J.A., Adelson, E.H., Gizzi, M.S. & Newsome, W.T. (1985). The analysis of moving visual patterns. In Pattern Recognition Mechanisms: Pontificiae Academiae Scientiarum Scripta Varia, ed. Chagas, C, Gattass, R. & Gross, C, pp. 117–151. Rome: Vatican Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Movshon, J.A., Lisberger, S.G. & Krauzlis, R.J. (1991 a). Visual cortical signals supporting smooth pursuit eye movements. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology LV, 707–716.Google Scholar
Movshon, J.A., Kiper, D.C, Beusmans, J.M.H., Gegenfurtner, K.R., Zaidi, Q. & Carandini, M. (1991 b). Chromatic properties of neurons in macaque MT. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 17, 524.Google Scholar
Mullen, K.T. (1985). The contrast sensitivity of human color vision to red-green and blue-yellow chromatic gratings. Journal of Physiology 359, 381–409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mullen, K.T. & Boulton, J.C. (1992). Absence of smooth motion perception in color vision. Vision Research 32, 483–488.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newsome, W.T., Wurtz, R.H., Dürsteler, M.R. & Mkami, A. (1985). Deficits in visual motion processing following ibotenic acid lesions of the middle temporal visual area of the macaque monkey. Journal of Neuroscience 5, 825–840.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newsome, W.T., Britten, K.H., Salzman, C.D. & Movshon, J.A. (1991). Neuronal mechanisms of motion perception. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology LV, 697–705.Google Scholar
Ramachandran, V.S. & Gregory, R.L. (1978). Does color provide an input to human motion perception? Nature 275, 55–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saito, H., Tanaka, K., Isono, H., Yasuda, M. & Mikami, A. (1989). Directionally selective response of cells in the middle temporal area (MT) of the macaque monkey to movement of equiluminous opponent color stimuli. Experimental Brain Research 75, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schiller, P.H., Logothetis, N.K. & Charles, E.R. (1990). Role of the color-opponent and broad-band channels in vision. Visual Neuroscience 5, 321–346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schiller, P.H., Logothetis, N.K. & Charles, E.R. (1991). Parallel pathways in the visual system: Their role in perception at isoluminance. Neuropsychologia 29, 433–441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapley, R. (1990). Visual sensitivity and parallel retinocortical channels. Annual Review of Psychology 41, 635–658.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, V.C. & Pokorny, J. (1975). Spectral sensitivity of the foveal cone photopigments between 400 and 500 nm. Vision Research 15, 161–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stockman, A., MacLeod, D.I.A. & DePriest, D.D. (1991). The temporal properties of the human short-wave photoreceptors and their associated pathways. Vision Research 31, 189–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stromeyer, C.F. III, Eskew, R.T. & Kronauer, R.E. (1990). The most sensitive motion detectors in humans are spectrally opponent. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (Suppl.) 31, 240.Google Scholar
Williams, R.A., Boothe, R.G., Kiorpes, L. & Teller, D.Y. (1981). Oblique effects in normally reared monkeys (Macaca nemestrina):Meridional variations in contrast sensitivity measured with operant techniques. Vision Research 21, 1253–1266.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeki, S.M. (1969). Representation of central visual fields in prestriate cortex of monkeys. Brain Research 14, 271–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeki, S.M. (1974). Functional organization of a visual area in the posterior bank of the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey. Journal of Physiology 236, 549–573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeki, S.M. (1978). Uniformity and diversity of structure and function in rhesus monkey prestriate visual cortex. Journal of Physiology 277, 273–290.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed