Detection of the movement direction by the cells with directional receptive fields in the primary visual cortex of the cat

Abstract

The study was performed on neurons with direction selective (DS) receptive fields (RFs) in the primary visual cortex of the cat. Preferred directions (PDs) of these cells to a single light spot and a system of two identical light spots moving across the RF with a given angle between them were compared. Directional interactions appeared when the angles between the directions of the two moving spots were 30o or 60o. PD for 56% of the cells coincided with bisectors of these angles. These cells responded to a combination of the two moving stimuli as if only one stimulus moved in the RF in an intermediate direction. This direction coincided with PD of the DS neuron to a single spot. Also, the investigation revealed that DS neurons responded to stimuli moving at such angles as 180o (to preferred and opposite directions simultaneously). In the further experiment we investigated responses of the DS cells in the primary visual cortex of RF. The angle between the directions of the two moving spots was 60o. These cells responded to a combination of the two moving stimuli as if only one stimulus moved in RF in an intermediate direction. The more relative luminance of one of spots in pair was, the closer the intermediate direction approached to the direction of this spot).