The speed of context integration in the visual cortex.

ABSTRACT: The observation of figure-ground selectivity in neurons of the visual cortex shows that these neurons can be influenced by the image context far beyond the classical receptive field. To clarify the nature of the context integration mechanism, we studied the latencies of neural edge signals, comparing the emergence of context-dependent definition of border ownership with the onset of local edge definition (contrast polarity; stereoscopic depth order). Single-neuron activity was recorded in areas V1 and V2 of Macaca mulatta under behaviorally induced fixation. Whereas local edge definition emerged immediately (<13 ms) after the edge onset response, the context-dependent signal was delayed by about 30 ms. To see if the context influence was mediated by horizontal fibers within cortex, we meas

SUBMITTER: Sugihara T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3129740 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature