A Motion Direction Map in Macaque V2

Abstract

In mammals, the perception of motion starts with direction-selective neurons in the visual cortex. Despite numerous studies in monkey primary and second visual cortex (V1 and V2), there has been no evidence of direction maps in these areas. In the present study, we used optical imaging methods to study the organization of motion response in macaque V1 and V2. In contrast to the findings in other mammals (e.g., cats and ferrets), we found no direction maps in macaque V1. Robust direction maps, however, were found in V2 thick/pale stripes and avoided thin stripes. In many cases direction maps were located within thick stripes and exhibited pinwheel or linear organizations. The presence of motion maps in V2 points to a newfound prominence of V2 in motion processing, for contributing to motion perception in the dorsal pathway and/or for motion cue-dependent form perception in the ventral pathway.