Receptive field focus of visual area V4 neurons determines responses to illusory surfaces

摘要: Illusory figures demonstrate the visual system’s ability to infer surfaces under conditions of fragmented sensory input. To investigate role midlevel area V4 in surface completion, we used multielectrode arrays measure spiking responses two types stimuli: Kanizsa patterns that induce perception an illusory and physically similar control stimuli do not. Neurons exhibited stronger sometimes rhythmic for illusion-promoting configurations compared with controls. Moreover, this elevated response depended on precise alignment neuron’s peak field sensitivity (receptive focus) itself. whose receptive focus was over adjacent inducing elements, less than 1.5° away, did not show enhancement illusion. Neither sizes nor fixational eye movements could account effect, which present both single-unit signals multiunit activity. These results suggest active perceptual completion shapes, is a fundamental problem natural experience, draws upon selective activity within distinct subpopulation neurons cortical V4.