Neuronal mechanisms underlying differences in spatial resolution between darks and lights in human vision.

ABSTRACT: Artists and astronomers noticed centuries ago that humans perceive dark features in an image differently from light ones; however, the neuronal mechanisms underlying these dark/light asymmetries remained unknown. Based on computational modeling of neuronal responses, we have previously proposed that such perceptual dark/light asymmetries originate from a luminance/response saturation within the ON retinal pathway. Consistent with this prediction, here we show that stimulus conditions that increase ON luminance/response saturation (e.g., dark backgrounds) or its effect on light stimuli (e.g., optical blur) impair the perceptual discrimination and salience of light targets more than dark targets in human vision. We also show that, in cat visual cortex, the magnitude of the ON luminance/respo

SUBMITTER: Pons C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5713488 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature