Modulation of the neuronal response in human primary visual cortex by re-entrant projections during retinal input processing as manifest in the visual evoked potential

Abstract

Initial deflections in the visual evoked potential (VEP) reflect the neuronal process of extracting features from the retinal input; a process not modulated by re-entrant projections. Later deflections in the VEP reflect the neuronal process of combining features into an object, a process referred to as ‘object closure’ and modulated by re-entrant projections. Our earlier work indicated that the VEP reflects independent neuronal responses processing temporal – and spatial luminance contrast and that these responses arise from an interaction between forward and re-entrant input. In this earlier work, changing the temporal luminance contrast property of a stimulus altered its spatial luminance contrast property. We recorded the VEP in 12 volunteers viewing image pairs of a windmill, regular dartboard or an RMS dartboard rotated by either Π/4, Π/2, 3Π/4 or Π radians with respect to each other. The windmill and regular dartboard had identical white to black ratio, while the two dartboards identical contrast edges per unit area. Rotation varied temporal luminance contrast of a stimulus without affecting its spatial luminance contrast. N75, P100, N135 and P240 amplitude and latency were compared and a source localisation and temporal frequency analysis performed. P100 amplitude signals a neuronal response processing temporal luminance contrast that is modulated by re-entrant projections with fast axonal conduction velocities. N135 and P240 signal the neuronal response processing spatial luminance contrast and is modulated by re-entrant projections with slow axonal conduction velocities. The dorsal stream is interconnected by fast axonal conduction velocities, the ventral stream by slow axonal conduction velocities.