Summary
Based on the fact that a great majority of cells in the middle temporal (MT) area of the macaque respond to movement of luminance contours with directional selectivity, this area has been thought to be concerned with the analysis of visual motion. However, objects can be discriminated from the background not only by differences in luminance but also by differences in color. It is possible that color signals are also used for motion analysis in MT. In the present study, we examined whether MT cells respond to movement of a pattern composed of pure color-contours. Using a color TV system, a moving color bar was displayed on a uniform background whose color was opponent with that of the bar. The main bar/background color combination we examined was magenta/cyan. Yellow/blue and cyan/ magenta combinations were also examined for some cells. The response of MT cells to movements of opponent-color stimuli was recorded while the bar/ background luminance ratio was changed from 1/10 to 10/1. In half of 89 cells tested in 3 monkeys, the response decreased considerably (disappeared completely in some cells) at a luminance ratio close to the human equiluminous condition. In the other half, a directional response persisted at any bar/background luminance ratio, though the response decreased to a varied extent (30–90% of the maximum response) near the ratio 1 (human equiluminous condition). The average magnitude of the equiluminous response to the magenta/cyan stimulus for the overall population was about 35% of the maximal response when the length of the bar (0.5° in width) and the movement amplitude were set to be optimal for individual cells, i.e. smaller than 15° and 10° of visual angle, respectively. This fall to 23% when the bar length and movement amplitude were limited to 2°. The same cell responded to pure color-contours of yellow/ blue as well as of cyan/magenta combinations. Thus, MT can detect the direction of movement of pure color-contours, although the sensitivity is less than for luminance contours.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albright TD, Desimone R, Gross CG (1984) Columnar organization of directionally selective cells in visual area MT of the macaque. J Neurophysiol 51: 16–31
Burkhalter A, Van Essen DC (1986) Processing of color, form and disparity information in visual areas VP and V2 of ventral extrastriate cortex in the macaque monkey. J Neurosci 6: 2327–2351
Cavanagh P, Boeglin J, Favreau OE (1985) Perception of motion in equiluminous kinematograms. Perception 14: 151–162
Cavanagh P, Favreau OE (1985) Color and luminance share a common motion pathway. Vision Res 25: 1595–1601
Desimone R, Schein SJ, Moran J, Ungerleider LG (1985) Contour, color and shape analysis beyond the striate cortex. Vision Res 25: 441–452
DeYoe EA, Van Essen DC (1985) Segregation of efferent connections and receptive field properties in visual area V2 of the macaque. Nature 317: 58–61
DeYoe EA, Van Essen DC (1988) Concurrent processing streams in monkey visual cortex. Trends Neurosci 11: 219–226
Dow BM (1974) Functional classes of cells and their laminar distribution in monkey visual cortex. J Neurophysiol 37: 927–946
Henry GH, Bishop PO, Tupper RM, Dreher B (1973) Orientation specificity and response variability of cells in the striate cortex. Vision Res 13: 1771–1779
Hubel DH, Livingstone MS (1985) Complex-unoriented cells in a subregion of primate area 18. Nature 315: 325–327
Hutchins B, Wever J (1983) A rapid myelin stain for frozen sections: modification of the Heidenhain procedure. J Neurosci Methods 7: 289–294
Isono H, Sakata H (1976) A consideration for chromaticity axes in NTSC color TV signal transmission system. Trans IECE 59A: 810–815
Isono H, Yasuda M (1986) Apparent motion perception of chromatic stimuli. Proc. 6th Intern Display Res Conference: 538–541
Isono H, Yasuda M (1987) Apparent motion perception of chromatic stimuli. Trans IEICE J70-D: 619–630
Ivanoff A (1947) Les aberrations de chromatisme et de sphéricité de l'oeil. Rev Opt 26: 145–171
Livingstone MS, Hubel DH (1984) Anatomy and physiology of a color system in the primate visual cortex. J Neurosci 4: 309–356
Livingstone MS, Hubel DH (1987) Psychophysical evidence for separate channels for the perception of form, color, movement, and depth. J Neurosci 7: 3416–3468
Maunsell JHR, Van Essen DC (1983a) Functional properties of neurons in middle temporal visual area of the macaque monkey. I. Selectivity for stimulus direction, speed, and orientation. J Neurophysiol 49: 1127–1147
Maunsell JHR, Van Essen DC (1983b) The connections of the middle temporal visual area (MT) and their relationship to a cortical hierarchy in the macaque monkey. J Neurosci 3: 2563–2586
Michael CR (1978) Color vision mechanisms in monkey striate cortex: dual-opponent cells with concentric receptive fields. J Neurophysiol 41: 572–588
Mikami A, Newsome WT, Wurtz RH (1986a) Motion selectivity in macaque visual cortex. I. Mechanisms of direction and speed selectivity in extrastriate area MT. J Neurophysiol 55: 1308–1327
Mikami A, Newsome WT, Wurtz RH (1986b) Motion selectivity in macaque visual cortex. II. Spatiotemporal range of directional interactions in MT and V1. J Neurophysiol 55: 1328–1339
Newsome WT, Mikami A, Wurtz RH (1986) Motion selectivity in macaque visual cortex. III. Psychophysics and physiology of apparent motion. J Neurophysiol 55: 1340–1351
Saito H, Yukie M, Tanaka K, Hikosaka K, Fukada Y, Iwai E (1986) Integration of direction signals of image motion in the superior temporal sulcus of the macaque monkey. J Neurosci 6: 145–157
Shipp S, Zeki S (1985) Segregation of pathways leading from area V2 to areas V4 and V5 of macaque monkey visual cortex. Nature 315: 322–324
Tanaka K, Hikosaka K, Saito H, Yukie M, Fukada Y, Iwai E (1986) Analysis of local and wide-field movements in the superior temporal visual areas of the macaque monkey. J Neurosci 6: 134–144
Ungerleider LG, Mishkin M (1979) The striate projection zone in the superior temporal sulcus of Macaca mulatta: Location and topographic organization. J Comp Neurol 188: 347–366
Van Essen DC (1985) Functional organization of primate visual cortex. In: Peters A, Jones EG (eds) Cerebral cortex, Vol 3. Plenum, New York London, pp 259–329
Van Essen DC, Maunsell JHR, Bixby JL (1981) The middle temporal visual area in the macaque: myeloarchitecture, connections, functional properties and topographic organization. J Comp Neurol 199: 293–326
Vautin RG, Dow BM (1985) Color cell groups in foveal striate cortex of behaving macaque. J Neurophysiol 54: 273–292
Zeki SM (1974) Functional organization of a visual area in the posterior bank of the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey. J Physiol 236: 549–573
Zeki SM (1978) Uniformity and diversity of structure and function in rhesus monkey prestriate visual cortex. J Physiol 277: 273–290
Zeki S (1983) The distribution of wavelength and orientation selective cells in different areas of monkey visual cortex. Proc R Soc Lond B217: 449–470
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Saito, H., Tanaka, K., Isono, H. et al. Directionally selective response of cells in the middle temporal area (MT) of the macaque monkey to the movement of equiluminous opponent color stimuli. Exp Brain Res 75, 1–14 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248524
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248524