Volume 5, Number 6, Article 8, Pages 571-578 doi:10.1167/5.6.8 http://journalofvision.org/5/6/8/ ISSN 1534-7362
Center-surround inhibition and facilitation as a function of size and contrast at multiple levels of visual motion processing
Chris L. E. Paffen
Helmholtz Institute, Psychonomics Division, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Maarten J. van der Smagt
Helmholtz Institute, Psychonomics Division, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Susan F. te Pas
Helmholtz Institute, Psychonomics Division, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Frans A. J. Verstraten
Helmholtz Institute, Psychonomics Division, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Visual context often plays a crucial role in visual processing. In the domain of visual motion processing, the response to a stimulus presented to a neuron’s classical receptive field can be modulated by presenting stimuli to its surround. The nature of these center-surround interactions is often inhibitory; the neural response decreases when the same direction of motion is presented to center and surround. Here we use binocular rivalry as a tool to study center-surround interactions. We show that magnitude of surround suppression varies as a function of luminance contrast and surround width. Increasing the size of surround motion increased surround suppression at high contrast. Furthermore, large, high-contrast surrounds facilitated opposite-direction motion in the center. For stimuli presented at low contrast, surround suppression peaked at a smaller surround width. In addition, we provide evidence that surround inhibition occurs at multiple levels of visual processing: Surround inhibition in motion processing is likely to originate from both monocular and binocular processing stages.

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History
Received February 28, 2005; published July 6, 2005
Citation
Paffen, C. L. E., van der Smagt, M. J., te Pas, S. F., & Verstraten, F. A. J. (2005). Center-surround inhibition and facilitation as a function of size and contrast at multiple levels of visual motion processing. Journal of Vision, 5(6):8, 571-578, http://journalofvision.org/5/6/8/, doi:10.1167/5.6.8.
Keywords
binocular rivalry, center-surround interactions, motion perception
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