QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smallman, H. S. Articles by Kentridge, R. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smallman, H. S. Articles by Kentridge, R. W.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 16, 1852-1859, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Neuroscience

ARTICLE

Fine grain of the neural representation of human spatial vision

HS Smallman, DI MacLeod, S He and RW Kentridge
Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, California 94115, USA.

It is widely held that in human spatial vision the visual scene is initially processed through visual filters, each of which is responsive to narrow ranges of image spatial frequencies. The physiological basis of these filters are thought to be cortical neurons with receptive fields of different sizes. The grain of the neural representation of spatial vision is much finer than had been supposed. Using laser interferometry, which effectively bypasses the demodulation of the optics of the eye, we measured discrimination of, and adaptation to, high spatial frequency laser interference fringe patterns. Spatial frequency discrimination was good right up to the visual resolution limit (average Weber fractions of 0.13 at 50 c/deg). Both contrast and spatial frequency matches made after adapting to extremely fine interference fringes strongly suggested that there existed even finer, relatively unadapted, filters (mechanisms with small receptive fields). The smallest cortical receptive fields processing spatial information in human vision are so small that they can possess receptive field centers hardly wider than single cone photoreceptors.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. J. McMahon, M. J. M. Lankheet, P. Lennie, and D. R. Williams Fine Structure of Parvocellular Receptive Fields in the Primate Fovea Revealed by Laser Interferometry J. Neurosci., March 1, 2000; 20(5): 2043 - 2053. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help