Context-dependent perceptual modulation of single neurons in primate visual cortex.

ABSTRACT: Some neurons in the visual cortex alter their spiking rate according to the perceptual interpretation of an observed stimulus, rather than its physical structure alone. Experiments in monkeys have suggested that, although the proportion of neurons showing this effect differs greatly between cortical areas, this proportion remains similar across different stimuli. These findings have raised the intriguing questions of whether the same neurons always participate in the disambiguation of sensory patterns and whether such neurons might represent a special class of cortical cells that relay perceptual signals to higher cortical areas. Here we explore this question by measuring activity in the middle temporal cortex of monkeys and asking to what degree the percept-related responses of individual

SUBMITTER: Maier A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1828131 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature