The surface area of human V1 predicts the subjective experience of object size.
The surface area of human primary visual cortex (V1) varies substantially between individuals for unknown reasons. We found that this variability was strongly and negatively correlated with the magnitude of two common visual illusions, where two physically identical objects appear different in size as a result of their context. Because such illusions dissociate conscious perception from physical stimulation, our findings indicate that the surface area of V1 predicts variability in conscious experience.
University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK. s.schwarzkopf@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
D Samuel
DS
Schwarzkopf
Chen
C
Song
Geraint
G
Rees
D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012858:Size Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology