title: V1 neurons respond differently to object motion versus motion from eye movements.
abstract: How does the visual system differentiate self-generated motion from motion in the external world? Humans can discern object motion from identical retinal image displacements induced by eye movements, but the brain mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. Here we exploit the frequent production of microsaccades during ocular fixation in the primate to compare primary visual cortical responses to self-generated motion (real microsaccades) versus motion in the external world (object motion mimicking microsaccades). Real and simulated microsaccades were randomly interleaved in the same viewing condition, thereby producing equivalent oculomotor and behavioural engagement. Our results show that real microsaccades generate biphasic neural responses, consisting of a rapid increase in the firing rate followed by a slow and smaller-amplitude suppression that drops below baseline. Simulated microsaccades generate solely excitatory responses. These findings indicate that V1 neurons can respond differently to internally and externally generated motion, and expand V1's potential role in information processing and visual stability during eye movements.
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|UNIC-CNRS (Unité de Neuroscience Information et Complexité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), 1 Avenue de la Terrase, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Xoana G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Troncoso
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: McCamy
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|Program in Neuroscience, Arizona State University, PO Box 874601, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
authors.forename: Ali Najafian
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Jazi
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otero-Millan
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Macknik
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|Program in Neuroscience, Arizona State University, PO Box 874601, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
authors.forename: Francisco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Costela
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA.|State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martinez-Conde