Spatio-temporal differentiation and integration in visual motion perception. An experimental and theoretical analysis of calculus-like functions in visual data processing.
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Adolescent↗
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Spatial characteristics of movement detection mechanisms in human vision. III. Subjects with abnormal visual pathways.
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Adult↗
Movement detectors provide sufficient information for local computation of 2-D velocity field.
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Humans↗
Vector analysis in visual perception of rolling motion. A quantitative approach.
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Humans↗
Modeling human motion perception. I. Classical stimuli.
Motion perception is one of the most prominent tasks of the visual system and therefore has been extensively investigated both experimentally and theoretically. A classical model describing the mechanism of motion detection originally developed in the context of insect orientation behavior, the elementary motion detector (EMD) of the correlation type, turned out to be very powerful in explaining many basic aspects of human motion perception. For more complex visual tasks, like the discrimination of a figure from its background by relative motion, on the other hand, further processing of motion information is required. In the first part of this review it will be illustrated by means of a few examples, what kind of motion information can be derived from the mere correlation-type model, and what perceptual phenomena can be accounted for by the EMD. In the second part, more recently developed stimuli will be introduced to answer the question what further processing steps, or more sophisticated mechanisms than the EMD, have to be assumed in order to understand "higher" aspects of human motion perception.
Cybernetics↗
Zoom neurons in visual cortex: receptive field enlargements with near fixation in monkeys.
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Animals↗
Specific characteristics of cholinergic mechanisms of short-term memory in monkeys for different types of visual information: the effects of amizil.
Experiments on rhesus macaques were used to study the relationship between the characteristics of delayed visual differentiation and stimulus properties in conditions of pharmacological treatment with the m-cholinoreceptor blocker amizil, with the aim of identifying how modification of cholinergic structures affects different types of information. Disturbances to short-term memory for all stimuli consisted of reductions in the duration of retention and increases in motor reaction times, but occurred at different doses of the blocker: amizil at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg significantly decreased the retention duration for information relating to spatial relationships. Delayed discrimination of shape, contrast, and size worsened after treatment with amizil at a dose of 0.45-0.50 mg/kg, while decreases in the duration of short-term storage of information relating to color started after amizil doses of 0.6-0.8 mg/kg. It is suggested that the short-term memory system includes a set of neurophysiological mechanisms in which the cholinergic structures are organized differently and whose specific properties result in differences in the characteristics of short-term storage of different types of visual information.
Animals↗
Relationship between the characteristics of visual short-term memory in monkeys and the spatial properties of images.
Experiments were performed on Rhesus macaques to study the relationship between delayed visual differentiation processes and stimulus properties. These investigations showed that the processes of short-term storage of visual information in monkeys has significant features associated with differences in stimulus properties. These consisted of different durations of storage and motor response times. Because of these differences, stimuli (15 pairs) could be grouped into compact clusters on the bases of similarity between their delayed differentiation characteristics. These experiments characterized the processes of short-term information storage during the differentiation of stimuli differing in terms of spatial relationships between elements, as compared with stimuli differing in terms of other attributes (shape, color, etc.); spatial information was stored for shorter periods of time and motor response times were longer. It is suggested that visual short-term memory involves a set of mechanisms operating on attributes of different types and which, along with signs and working programs associated with the visual system, stores spatial discriminatory signs, in which the major role is played by visual-vestibular interactions.
Animals↗
Exploring the syndrome of spatial unilateral neglect through an illusion of length.
Both a neuropsychological syndrome (unilateral spatial neglect) and a visual illusion of length (the Brentano version of the Müller-Lyer illusion) bring about a misjudgement of the subjective centre of a horizontal line, with a unilateral shift. In experiment 1 we investigated, in patients with left unilateral neglect, illusory effects of horizontal length, with the aim of exploring the functional and neural basis of horizontal space perception, and the role of visual processing in shaping the patients' bisection performance. Fourteen right-brain-damaged patients with left spatial unilateral neglect, seven with and seven without left visual half-field deficits (assessed by confrontation, perimetry, and visual event-related potentials), entered this study. Two conditions of manual line bisection were assessed: setting the mid-point of a horizontal line, and of the shaft of the Brentano-Müller-Lyer illusion, with either a left- or a right-sided expansion. Both groups of patients set the subjective midpoint to the right of the objective centre of the line, consistent with the presence of left neglect. Patients with neglect and left hemianopia showed no illusory effects and a greater bisection error. The effects of the illusion, by contrast, were fully present in neglect patients without hemianopia, in both illusory conditions, adding to, or subtracting from, the rightward bisection bias. Anatomoclinical correlations revealed an association of damage to the occipital regions with the lack of illusory effects. Conversely, more anterior damage, sparing these regions, did not disrupt the illusion, revealing a dissociation between visual and spatial processing of extension. These findings suggest that processing of the Müller-Lyer illusion of length is likely to occur in the occipital cortex, at a retinotopic level of representation. In neglect patients with left homonymous hemianopia the visual deficit adds to the spatial bias, yielding a greater error in line bisection, but not in other visual exploratory tasks, such as cancellation, where the contribution of retinotopic frames is likely to be comparatively minor. Experiment 2 showed preserved illusory effects in patients with homonymous visual field defects without spatial unilateral neglect, suggesting that preserved spatial processing may compensate for unilateral visual field defects.
Adult↗
Grasping two-dimensional images and three-dimensional objects in visual-form agnosia.
Visually guided prehension is controlled by a specialized visuomotor system in the posterior parietal cortex. It is not clear how this system responds to visual stimuli that lack three-dimensional (3D) structure, such as two-dimensional (2D) images of objects. We asked a neurological patient with visual-form agnosia (patient D.F.) to grasp 3D objects and 2D images of the same objects and to estimate their sizes manually. D.F.'s grip aperture was scaled to the sizes of the 2D and 3D target stimuli, but her manual estimates were poorly correlated with object size. Control participants demonstrated appropriate size-scaling in both the grasping and manual size-estimation tasks, but tended to use a smaller peak aperture when reaching to grasp 2D images. We conclude that: (1) the dorsal stream grasping system does not discriminate in a fundamental way between 2D and 3D objects, and (2) neurologically normal participants might adopt a different visuomotor strategy for target objects that are recognized to be ungraspable. These findings are consistent with the view that the dorsal grasping system accesses a pragmatic, spatial representation of the target object, whereas the ventral system accesses a more comprehensive, volumetric description of the object.
Adult↗
Attentional effects in the visual pathways: a whole-brain PET study.
Attentional effects in the visual pathways were investigated by contrasting the distribution of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured by H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET) during performance of a shape-matching task with the distribution of rCBF during a less demanding color-matching task. The two tasks were performed using the same stimuli: pairs of colored random shapes shown at a fixed rate (2 s per pair). In the shape-matching task, the subjects determined whether the two stimuli were the same in shape regardless of differences in size or color. In the color-matching task, the subjects determined whether the two stimuli were the same in color regardless of differences in size or shape. Mean reaction time for shape-matching exceeded mean reaction time for color-matching by nearly 200 ms. The corresponding shape-color comparison showed extensive bilateral increases in rCBF in visual areas in the occipital and parietal lobes, including the primary visual cortex. Subcortical activations were found in cerebellum (particularly the vermis) and in the thalamus with the focus in a region comprising the lateral geniculate nucleus, the pulvinar, and adjacent parts of the reticular nucleus. Frontal activations were found in a region that seems implicated in visual short-term memory (posterior parts of the superior sulcus and the middle gyrus). The reverse, color-shape comparison showed bilateral increases in rCBF in the anterior cingulate gyri, superior frontal gyri, and superior and middle temporal gyri. The attentional effects found by the shape-color comparison in the thalamus and the primary visual cortex may have been generated by feedback signals preserving visual representations of selected stimuli in short-term memory.
Adult↗
Temporal precision of interceptive action: differential effects of target size and speed.
The duration of movements made to intercept moving targets decreases and movement speed increases when interception requires greater temporal precision. Changes in target size and target speed can have the same effect on required temporal precision, but the response to these changes differs: changes in target speed elicit larger changes in response speed. A possible explanation is that people attempt to strike the target in a central zone that does not vary much with variation in physical target size: the "effective size" of the target is relatively constant over changes in physical size. Three experiments are reported that test this idea. Participants performed two tasks: (1). strike a moving target with a bat moved perpendicular to the path of the target; (2). press on a force transducer when the target was in a location where it could be struck by the bat. Target speed was varied and target size held constant in experiment 1. Target speed and size were co-varied in experiment 2, keeping the required temporal precision constant. Target size was varied and target speed held constant in experiment 3 to give the same temporal precision as experiment 1. Duration of hitting movements decreased and maximum movement speed increased with increases in target speed and/or temporal precision requirements in all experiments. The effects were largest in experiment 1 and smallest in experiment 3. Analysis of a measure of effective target size (standard deviation of strike locations on the target) failed to support the hypothesis that performance differences could be explained in terms of effective size rather than actual physical size. In the pressing task, participants produced greater peak forces and shorter force pulses when the temporal precision required was greater, showing that the response to increasing temporal precision generalizes to different responses. It is concluded that target size and target speed have independent effects on performance.
Adolescent↗
Systematic changes in the duration and precision of interception in response to variation of amplitude and effector size.
The results of two experiments are reported that examined how performance in a simple interceptive action (hitting a moving target) was influenced by the speed of the target, the size of the intercepting effector and the distance moved to make the interception. In Experiment 1, target speed and the width of the intercepting manipulandum (bat) were varied. The hypothesis that people make briefer movements, when the temporal accuracy and precision demands of the task are high, predicts that bat width and target speed will divisively interact in their effect on movement time (MT) and that shorter MTs will be associated with a smaller temporal variable error (VE). An alternative hypothesis that people initiate movement when the rate of expansion (ROE) of the target's image reaches a specific, fixed criterion value predicts that bat width will have no effect on MT. The results supported the first hypothesis: a statistically reliable interaction of the predicted form was obtained and the temporal VE was smaller for briefer movements. In Experiment 2, distance to move and target speed were varied. MT increased in direct proportion to distance and there was a divisive interaction between distance and speed; as in Experiment 1, temporal VE was smaller for briefer movements. The pattern of results could not be explained by the strategy of initiating movement at a fixed value of the ROE or at a fixed value of any other perceptual variable potentially available for initiating movement. It is argued that the results support pre-programming of MT with movement initiated when the target's time to arrival at the interception location reaches a criterion value that is matched to the pre-programmed MT. The data supported completely open-loop control when MT was less than between 200 and 240 ms with corrective sub-movements increasingly frequent for movements of longer duration.
Adolescent↗
Acquiring and adapting a novel audiomotor map in human grasping.
For sensorimotor transformations to be executed accurately, there must be mechanisms that can both establish and modify mappings between sensory and motor coordinates. Such mechanisms were investigated in normal subjects using a reach-to-grasp task. First, we replaced the normal input of visual information about object size with auditory information, i.e., we attempted to establish an 'audiomotor map'. The size of the object was log linearly related to the frequency of the sound, and we measured the maximum grip aperture (MGA) during the reaching phase to determine if the subjects had learned the relationship. Second, we changed the frequency-object size relationship to study adaptation in the newly acquired map. Our results demonstrate that learning of an audiomotor map consisted of three distinct phases: during the first stage (approximately 10-15 trials) subjects simply used MGAs large enough to grasp any reasonably sized object and there were no overt signs of learning. During the second stage, there was a period of fast learning where the slope of the relationship between MGA and object size became steeper until the third stage where the slope was constant. In contrast, when sensorimotor adaptation was studied in the established audiomotor map, there was rapid learning from the start of a size perturbation. We conclude that different learning strategies are employed when sensorimotor transformations are established compared to when existing transformations are modified.
Acoustic Stimulation↗
The use of optical velocities for distance discrimination and reproduction during visually simulated self motion.
Successful navigation through an environment requires precise monitoring of direction and distance traveled ("path integration" or "dead reckoning"). Previous studies in blindfolded human subjects showed that velocity information arising from vestibular and somatosensory signals can be used to reproduce passive linear displacements. In these studies, visual information was excluded as sensory cue. Yet, in our everyday life, visual information is very important and usually dominates vestibular and somatosensory cues. In the present study, we investigated whether visual signals can be used to discriminate and reproduce simulated linear displacements. In a first set of experiments, subjects viewed two sequences of linear motion and were asked in a 2AFC task to judge whether the travel distance in the second sequence was larger or shorter than in the first. Displacements in either movement sequence could be forward (f) or backward (b). Subjects were very accurate in discriminating travel distances. Average error was less than 3% and did not depend on displacements being into the same (ff, bb) or opposite direction (fb, bf). In a second set of experiments, subjects had to reproduce a previously seen forward motion (passive condition), either in light or in darkness, i.e., with or without visual feedback. Passive displacements had different velocity profiles (constant, sinusoidal, complex) and speeds and were performed across a textured ground plane, a 2-D plane of dots or through a 3-D cloud of dots. With visual feedback, subjects reproduced distances accurately. Accuracy did not depend on the kind of velocity profile in the passive condition. Subjects tended to reproduce distance by replicating the velocity profile of the passive displacement. Finally, in the condition without visual feedback, subjects reproduced the shape of the velocity profile, but used much higher speeds, resulting in a substantial overshoot of travel distance. Our results show that visual, vestibular, and somatosensory signals are used for path integration, following a common strategy: the use of the velocity profile during self-motion.
Adult↗
Gastric cancer by multidetector row CT: preoperative staging.
The role of computed tomography (CT) in the preoperative staging of gastric cancer, even if controversial, may be fundamental for evaluating the local extent and nodal involvement of the disease, especially in locally advanced cases. However, previous results of CT staging have not been satisfactory for predicting the invasive depth of the tumor or possible nodal metastases. Recently introduced multidetector row CT (MDCT) and three-dimensional (3D) imaging are expected to overcome the limitations in cancer staging by offering rapid and accurate information for space perception, detailed hemodynamics, and real-time 3D processing of volumetric data sets. In particular, virtual endoscopic imaging may be helpful for detecting early gastric cancer. In our experience, T and N stagings of gastric cancer were improved with 3D MDCT when using volume rendering and virtual endoscopic imaging compared with conventional axial two-dimensional (2D) CT (accuracy of T staging with 3D vs. 2D CT images, 84% vs. 77%; accuracy of N staging, 63% vs. 61% with 3D vs. 2D images, respectively). In particular, the detection rate of early gastric cancer was markedly increased up to 96% when using 3D MDCT. Therefore, we believe that 3D MDCT of the stomach may enhance the performance of CT in the preoperative evaluation of patients who have gastric cancer by offering easy early detection of lesions and accurate tumor staging through the 3D imaging process.
Gastroscopy↗
[Visual function in developmental dyslexia. Opthalmological and neuropsychological results].
BACKGROUND: We aimed to test children with developmental dyslexia for possible alterations of their spatial and visuoperceptual ability. METHODS: A total of 31 children with developmental dyslexia were included in the study. All children underwent a complete ophthalmological and orthoptic examination. Neuropsychological testing was performed using the Visual Object and Space Perception Battery (VOSP) and the subtest "Gestalt Closure" of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for children. Even though the VOSP is validated and standardized for adults, no normal values for children exist thus far. Therefore, a sex- and age-matched control group was tested. In addition, the parents of the dyslectic children completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 4-18 (CBCL/4-18). RESULTS: All children presented normal ophthalmological and orthoptic findings. Performance in the VOSP subtests "progressive silhouettes test'" and "number location" was significantly reduced in dyslectic children when compared to controls ( p<0.0003 and p<0.046, respectively). There was also a tendency towards lower values in the subtest "position discrimination" ( p=0.07). In the other subtests no significant difference between dyslectic children and controls was observed. The results of the subtest "Gestalt Closure" of the K-ABC and the CBCL/4-18 were within normal ranges. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that developmental dyslexia is not based on ocular deficits, but indicates possible disturbances of visual-spatial cognition and visual-spatial perception in dyslectic children.
Child↗
Naïve impetus and Michotte's "tool effect": evidence from representational momentum.
Displacement in the remembered position of targets in displays based on Michotte's (1951/1991) tool effect paradigm was examined. Targets in tool effect displays exhibited less forward displacement than did otherwise identical targets presented in isolation; the decrease in forward displacement was not dependent upon the motion of a visible intermediary, but was dependent upon a visible intermediary contacting both the launcher and the target. The data were consistent with naïve impetus theory and the hypothesis that decreases in forward displacement of targets in tool effect displays resulted from the intermediary transferring perceived impetus of the launcher to the target and a dissipation of that impetus with subsequent target motion. Possible connections between displacement, impetus, and the perception of causality are discussed.
Humans↗