Monkey and humans exhibit similar motion-processing mechanisms.
Single cell recording studies have resulted in a detailed understanding of motion-sensitive neurons in non-human primate visual cortex. However, it is not known to what extent response properties of motion-sensitive neurons in the non-human primate brain mirror response characteristics of motion-sensitive neurons in the human brain. Using a motion adaptation paradigm, the direction aftereffect, we show that changes in the activity of human motion-sensitive neurons to moving dot patterns that differ in dot density bear a strong resemblance to data from macaque monkey. We also show a division-like inhibition between neural populations tuned to opposite directions, which also mirrors neural-inhibitory behaviour in macaque. These findings strongly suggest that motion-sensitive neurons in human and non-human primates share common response and inhibitory characteristics.
Curran
William
W
School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK. w.curran@qub.ac.uk
Lynn
Catherine
C
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*