Two motion systems with common and separate pathways for color and luminance

We present psychological experiments that reveal two motion systems, a specific and an unspecific one. The specific system prevails at medium to high temporal frequencies. It comprises at least two separate motion pathways that are selective for color and for luminance and that do not interact until after the motion signal is extracted separately in each. By contrast, the unspecific system prevails at low temporal frequencies and it combines color and luminance signals at an earlier stage, before motion extraction. The successful implementation of an efficient and accurate technique for assessing equiluminance corroborates further the main findings. These results offer a general framework for understanding the nature of interactions between color and luminance signals in motion perception and suggest that previously proposed dichotomies in motion processing may be encompassed by the specific/unspecific dichotomy proposed here.

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Motion Perception: From Detection to Interpretation

Annual Review of Vision Science ◽

10.1146/annurev-vision-091517-034328 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 501-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shin'ya Nishida ◽

Takahiro Kawabe ◽

Masataka Sawayama ◽

Taiki Fukiage

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Specular Reflection ◽

Motion Vector ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Local Motion ◽

Computational Framework ◽

Motion Signal ◽

Visual Motion Processing ◽

Level Of Processing

Visual motion processing can be conceptually divided into two levels. In the lower level, local motion signals are detected by spatiotemporal-frequency-selective sensors and then integrated into a motion vector flow. Although the model based on V1-MT physiology provides a good computational framework for this level of processing, it needs to be updated to fully explain psychophysical findings about motion perception, including complex motion signal interactions in the spatiotemporal-frequency and space domains. In the higher level, the velocity map is interpreted. Although there are many motion interpretation processes, we highlight the recent progress in research on the perception of material (e.g., specular reflection, liquid viscosity) and on animacy perception. We then consider possible linking mechanisms of the two levels and propose intrinsic flow decomposition as the key problem. To provide insights into computational mechanisms of motion perception, in addition to psychophysics and neurosciences, we review machine vision studies seeking to solve similar problems.

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Perception of opposite-direction motion in random dot kinematograms

10.31234/osf.io/uf3vd ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gi-Yeul Bae ◽

Steven J Luck

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Opposite Direction ◽

Computational Models ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Stimulus Motion ◽

Motion Signal ◽

Motion Activity ◽

System P ◽

Direction Opposite

Computational models for motion perception suggest a possibility that read-out of motion signal can yield the perception of opposite direction of the true stimulus motion direction. However, this possibility was not obvious in a standard 2AFC motion discrimination (e.g., leftward vs.rightward). By allowing the motion direction to vary over 360° in typical random-dot kinematograms (RDKs) displays, and by asking observers to estimate the exact direction of motion, we were able to detect the presence of opposite-direction motion perception in RDKs.This opposite-direction motion perception was replicable across multiple display types andfeedback conditions, and participants had greater confidence in their opposite-direction responses than in true guess responses. When we fed RDKs into a computational model of motion processing, we found that the model estimated substantial motion activity in the direction opposite to the coherent stimulus direction, even though no such motion was objectively present in the stimuli, suggesting that the opposite-direction motion perception may be a consequenceof the properties of motion-selective neurons in visual cortex. Together, these results demonstrate that the perception of opposite-direction motion in RDKs is consistent with the known properties of the visual system.

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‘Generic-View Principle’ for Three-Dimensional-Motion Perception: Optics and Inverse Optics of a Moving Straight Bar

Perception ◽

10.1068/p250797 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 25 (7) ◽

pp. 797-814 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michiteru Kitazaki ◽

Shinsuke Shimojo

Keyword(s):

Visual System ◽

Motion Perception ◽

Retinal Image ◽

General Framework ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Image Motion ◽

Optical Process ◽

Retinal Image Motion ◽

The Subject ◽

Three Components

The generic-view principle (GVP) states that given a 2-D image the visual system interprets it as a generic view of a 3-D scene when possible. The GVP was applied to 3-D-motion perception to show how the visual system decomposes retinal image motion into three components of 3-D motion: stretch/shrinkage, rotation, and translation. First, the optical process of retinal image motion was analyzed, and predictions were made based on the GVP in the inverse-optical process. Then experiments were conducted in which the subject judged perception of stretch/shrinkage, rotation in depth, and translation in depth for a moving bar stimulus. Retinal-image parameters—2-D stretch/shrinkage, 2-D rotation, and 2-D translation—were manipulated categorically and exhaustively. The results were highly consistent with the predictions. The GVP seems to offer a broad and general framework for understanding the ambiguity-solving process in motion perception. Its relationship to other constraints such as that of rigidity is discussed.

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The chromatic input to global motion perception

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s0952523803204077 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 421-428 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

ALEXA I. RUPPERTSBERG ◽

SOPHIE M. WUERGER ◽

MARCO BERTAMINI

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Contrast Threshold ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Global Motion ◽

Complex Motion ◽

Motion Mechanism ◽

Parvocellular Pathway ◽

Simple Detection ◽

Contrast Thresholds ◽

Luminance Range

For over 30 years there has been a controversy over whether color-defined motion can be perceived by the human visual system. Some results suggest that there is no chromatic motion mechanism at all, whereas others do find evidence for a purely chromatic motion mechanism. Here we examine the chromatic input to global motion processing for a range of color directions in the photopic luminance range. We measure contrast thresholds for global motion identification and simple detection using sparse random-dot kinematograms. The results show a discrepancy between the two chromatic axes: whereas it is possible for observers to perform the global motion task for stimuli modulated along the red–green axis, we could not assess the contrast threshold required for stimuli modulated along the yellowish-violet axis. The contrast required for detection for both axes, however, are well below the contrasts required for global motion identification. We conclude that there is a significant red–green input to global motion processing providing further evidence for the involvement of the parvocellular pathway. The lack of S-cone input to global motion processing suggests that the koniocellular pathway mediates the detection but not the processing of complex motion for our parameter range.

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The Components of Vestibular Cognition — Motion Versus Spatial Perception

Multisensory Research ◽

10.1163/22134808-00002507 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (5-6) ◽

pp. 507-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Barry M. Seemungal

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Spatial Orientation ◽

Spatial Perception ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Research Activity ◽

Ocular Reflex ◽

Vestibular Ocular Reflex ◽

Optimal Functioning ◽

Self Motion

Vestibular cognition can be divided into two main functions — a primary vestibular sensation of self-motion and a derived sensation of spatial orientation. Although the vestibular system requires calibration from other senses for optimal functioning, both vestibular spatial and vestibular motion perception are typically employed when navigating without vision. A recent important finding is the cerebellar mediation of the uncoupling of reflex (i.e., the vestibular-ocular reflex) from vestibular motion perception (Perceptuo-Reflex Uncoupling). The brain regions that mediate vestibular motion and vestibular spatial perception is an area of on-going research activity. However, there is data to support the notion that vestibular motion perception is mediated by multiple brain regions. In contrast, vestibular spatial perception appears to be mediated by posterior brain areas although currently the exact locus is unclear. I will discuss the experimental evidence that support this functional dichotomy in vestibular cognition (i.e., motion processingvs.spatial orientation). Along the way I will highlight relevant practical technical tips in testing vestibular cognition.

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Motion Perception in the Common Marmoset

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz267 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 2659-2673

Author(s):

Shaun L Cloherty ◽

Jacob L Yates ◽

Dina Graf ◽

Gregory C DeAngelis ◽

Jude F Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Common Marmoset ◽

Neural Population ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Visual Motion Processing ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Population Codes ◽

The Common

Abstract Visual motion processing is a well-established model system for studying neural population codes in primates. The common marmoset, a small new world primate, offers unparalleled opportunities to probe these population codes in key motion processing areas, such as cortical areas MT and MST, because these areas are accessible for imaging and recording at the cortical surface. However, little is currently known about the perceptual abilities of the marmoset. Here, we introduce a paradigm for studying motion perception in the marmoset and compare their psychophysical performance with human observers. We trained two marmosets to perform a motion estimation task in which they provided an analog report of their perceived direction of motion with an eye movement to a ring that surrounded the motion stimulus. Marmosets and humans exhibited similar trade-offs in speed versus accuracy: errors were larger and reaction times were longer as the strength of the motion signal was reduced. Reverse correlation on the temporal fluctuations in motion direction revealed that both species exhibited short integration windows; however, marmosets had substantially less nondecision time than humans. Our results provide the first quantification of motion perception in the marmoset and demonstrate several advantages to using analog estimation tasks.

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Effects of TMS over Premotor and Superior Temporal Cortices on Biological Motion Perception

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_00194 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 896-904 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Bianca Michelle van Kemenade ◽

Neil Muggleton ◽

Vincent Walsh ◽

Ayse Pinar Saygin

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Biological Motion ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Control Site ◽

Object Motion ◽

Motion Processing ◽

False Alarms ◽

Control Task ◽

Biological Motion Perception ◽

Point Light

Using MRI-guided off-line TMS, we targeted two areas implicated in biological motion processing: ventral premotor cortex (PMC) and posterior STS (pSTS), plus a control site (vertex). Participants performed a detection task on noise-masked point-light displays of human animations and scrambled versions of the same stimuli. Perceptual thresholds were determined individually. Performance was measured before and after 20 sec of continuous theta burst stimulation of PMC, pSTS, and control (each tested on different days). A matched nonbiological object motion task (detecting point-light displays of translating polygons) served as a further control. Data were analyzed within the signal detection framework. Sensitivity (d′) significantly decreased after TMS of PMC. There was a marginally significant decline in d′ after TMS of pSTS but not of control site. Criterion (response bias) was also significantly affected by TMS over PMC. Specifically, subjects made significantly more false alarms post-TMS of PMC. These effects were specific to biological motion and not found for the nonbiological control task. To summarize, we report that TMS over PMC reduces sensitivity to biological motion perception. Furthermore, pSTS and PMC may have distinct roles in biological motion processing as behavioral performance differs following TMS in each area. Only TMS over PMC led to a significant increase in false alarms, which was not found for other brain areas or for the control task. TMS of PMC may have interfered with refining judgments about biological motion perception, possibly because access to the perceiver's own motor representations was compromised.

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Ventral aspect of the visual form pathway is not critical for the perception of biological motion

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1414974112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (4) ◽

pp. E361-E370 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Sharon Gilaie-Dotan ◽

Ayse Pinar Saygin ◽

Lauren J. Lorenzi ◽

Geraint Rees ◽

Marlene Behrmann

Keyword(s):

Visual Cortex ◽

Motion Perception ◽

Biological Motion ◽

Form Perception ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Extrastriate Body Area ◽

Biological Motion Perception ◽

Neurobiological Substrates ◽

Cortical Regions ◽

Point Light

Identifying the movements of those around us is fundamental for many daily activities, such as recognizing actions, detecting predators, and interacting with others socially. A key question concerns the neurobiological substrates underlying biological motion perception. Although the ventral “form” visual cortex is standardly activated by biologically moving stimuli, whether these activations are functionally critical for biological motion perception or are epiphenomenal remains unknown. To address this question, we examined whether focal damage to regions of the ventral visual cortex, resulting in significant deficits in form perception, adversely affects biological motion perception. Six patients with damage to the ventral cortex were tested with sensitive point-light display paradigms. All patients were able to recognize unmasked point-light displays and their perceptual thresholds were not significantly different from those of three different control groups, one of which comprised brain-damaged patients with spared ventral cortex (n > 50). Importantly, these six patients performed significantly better than patients with damage to regions critical for biological motion perception. To assess the necessary contribution of different regions in the ventral pathway to biological motion perception, we complement the behavioral findings with a fine-grained comparison between the lesion location and extent, and the cortical regions standardly implicated in biological motion processing. This analysis revealed that the ventral aspects of the form pathway (e.g., fusiform regions, ventral extrastriate body area) are not critical for biological motion perception. We hypothesize that the role of these ventral regions is to provide enhanced multiview/posture representations of the moving person rather than to represent biological motion perception per se.

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S-cone signals invisible to the motion system can improve motion extraction via grouping by color

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s095252380909004x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 237-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JASNA MARTINOVIC ◽

GEORG MEYER ◽

MATTHIAS M. MÜLLER ◽

SOPHIE M. WUERGER

Keyword(s):

Event Related Potentials ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Coherent Motion ◽

Behavioral Experiment ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Global Motion ◽

Local Motion ◽

Motion System ◽

Motion Extraction ◽

Related Potentials

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test whether color–motion correlations carried by a pure color difference (S-cone component only) can be used to improve global motion extraction. We also examined the neural markers of color–motion correlation processing in event-related potentials. Color and motion information was dissociated using a two-colored random dot kinematogram, wherein coherent motion and motion noise differed from each other only in their S-cone component, with spatial and temporal parameters set so that global motion processing relied solely on a constant L-M component. Hence, when color and the local motion direction are correlated, more efficient segregation of coherent motion can only be brought about by the S-cone difference, and crucially, this S-cone component does not provide any effective input to a global motion mechanism but only changes the color appearance of the moving dots. The color contrasts (vector length in the S vs. L-M plane) of both the dots carrying coherent motion and the dots moving randomly were fixed at motion discrimination threshold to ensure equal effectiveness for motion extraction. In the behavioral experiment, participants were asked to discriminate between coherent and random motion, and d′ was determined for three different conditions: uncorrelated, uncued correlated, and cued correlated. In the electroencephalographic experiment, participants discriminated direction of motion for uncued correlated and cued correlated conditions. Color–motion correlations were found to improve performance. Cueing a specific color also modulated the N1 component of the event-related potential, with sources in visual area middle temporal. We conclude that S-cone signals “invisible” to the motion system can influence the analysis by direction-selective motion mechanisms through grouping of local motion signals by color. This grouping mechanism must precede motion processing and is likely to be under attentional control.

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Comparing the influence of stimulus size and contrast on the perception of moving gratings and random dot patterns—A registered report protocol

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253067 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253067

Author(s):

Benedict Wild ◽

Stefan Treue

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Temporal Area ◽

Middle Temporal ◽

Processing Pipeline ◽

Visual Motion Processing ◽

Primate Brain ◽

Random Dot Patterns

Modern accounts of visual motion processing in the primate brain emphasize a hierarchy of different regions within the dorsal visual pathway, especially primary visual cortex (V1) and the middle temporal area (MT). However, recent studies have called the idea of a processing pipeline with fixed contributions to motion perception from each area into doubt. Instead, the role that each area plays appears to depend on properties of the stimulus as well as perceptual history. We propose to test this hypothesis in human subjects by comparing motion perception of two commonly used stimulus types: drifting sinusoidal gratings (DSGs) and random dot patterns (RDPs). To avoid potential biases in our approach we are pre-registering our study. We will compare the effects of size and contrast levels on the perception of the direction of motion for DSGs and RDPs. In addition, based on intriguing results in a pilot study, we will also explore the effects of a post-stimulus mask. Our approach will offer valuable insights into how motion is processed by the visual system and guide further behavioral and neurophysiological research.

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