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Motion detection is the ability of the visual system to detect motion in the visual field. Motion detection in its simplest form takes place in the retina, but more complex processes related to movement perception are thought to involve the extrastriate cortex.
Transcriptomic data and functional experiments on macaque retina are used to identify the ON-type direction-selective ganglion cells responsible for detecting moving images and initiating gaze-stabilization mechanisms.
A single cell type in the Drosophila visual system implements motion-opponent inhibition at multiple consecutive circuit levels. This neural architecture enables high stimulus selectivity without compromising sensitivity under noisy conditions.
The optokinetic reflex assists image-stabilization in visual systems. Here the authors show that the slow speed preference of ON direction-selective ganglion cells, triggering optokinetic nystagmus, relies on inhibition from VGluT3 amacrine cells.
Neurons in the mouse postrhinal cortex receive visual inputs from the superior colliculus and respond to visual motion independently of the primary visual cortex.
Single-unit recording in primate cortical area MT shows surprising sensitivity to depth defined by dynamical perspective cues. Depth might then be computed through recurrent circuits involving signals downstream of MT.
In both fruitflies and vertebrates, signals from photoreceptor cells are immediately split into two opposing channels in the downstream neurons. This might facilitate the computation of visual motion. See Letter p.300
