Single visual neurons code opposing motion independent of direction.
Cells in intermediate and deeper layers of the pigeon optic tectum respond best when a textured background pattern is moved in the opposite direction to a moving test spot. Complete inhibition occurs when the background moves in the same direction as the test stimulus. Most noteworthy is the invariance of this relationship over a wide range of test spot directions. These cells represent a higher level of abstraction in a motion-detecting system and may play a role in figure-ground segregation or the discrimination of the motion of an object from self-induced optical motion.
D000818:Animals; D010856:Columbidae / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion; D009038:Motion; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*