Article abstract


Nature Neuroscience 12, 1050 - 1055 (2009)
Published online: 5 July 2009 | doi:10.1038/nn.2343

Disparity- and velocity-based signals for three-dimensional motion perception in human MT+

Bas Rokers1, Lawrence K Cormack1 & Alexander C Huk1


How does the primate visual system encode three-dimensional motion? The macaque middle temporal area (MT) and the human MT complex (MT+) have well-established sensitivity to two-dimensional frontoparallel motion and static disparity. However, evidence for sensitivity to three-dimensional motion has remained elusive. We found that human MT+ encodes two binocular cues to three-dimensional motion: changing disparities over time and interocular comparisons of retinal velocities. By varying important properties of moving dot displays, we distinguished these three-dimensional motion signals from their constituents, instantaneous binocular disparity and monocular retinal motion. An adaptation experiment confirmed direction selectivity for three-dimensional motion. Our results indicate that MT+ carries critical binocular signals for three-dimensional motion processing, revealing an important and previously overlooked role for this well-studied brain area.

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  1. Neurobiology, Psychology, Center for Perceptual Systems, Institute for Neuroscience, and Imaging Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.

Correspondence to: Bas Rokers1 e-mail: rokers@mail.utexas.edu



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