Visually evoked cortical potentials in awake cats during saccadic eye movements.

Visually evoked potentials (VEPs) measured under conditions of retinal image stabilization that minimized the influences of visual masking and smearing were averaged from electroencephalographic records measured from striate cortex of three cats. The amplitudes of the VEPs increased around saccade initiation. The grating-evoked potentials obtained at different times relative to the saccade exhibited changes in waveform shape that could be attributed to a saccade-evoked potential.

Transient visual attention is dominated by the magnocellular stream.

Robust visual attentional responses are produced by the sudden onset of a visual cue, but the properties of cues that best elicit an attentional response are not fully known. We used the line-motion illusion (Hikosaka et al., 1991) to investigate the optimal cue properties that evoke visual attention.

Disparity tuning of the stereoscopic (cyclopean) motion aftereffect.

Across five experiments this study investigated the disparity tuning of the stereoscopic motion aftereffect (adaptation from moving retinal disparity). Adapting and test stimuli were moving and stationary stereoscopic grating patterns, respectively, created from dynamic random-dot stereograms. Observers adapted to moving stereoscopic grating patterns presented with a given disparity and viewed stationary test patterns presented with the same or differing disparity to examine whether the motion aftereffect is disparity contingent.

Visual attention mechanisms show a center-surround organization.

The sudden onset of a cue triggers visual attention, which then enhances visual processing in the zone near the cue. This enhancement causes a motion illusion in subsequent stimuli presented near the cue. At greater separations from the cue, the illusory motion reverses direction, indicating prolonged processing speed.

A sensory explanation for visual attention deficits in the elderly.

Background: Reduced visual attention has been implicated as a major factor in age-related deficits of real-world functioning such as driving. However, the contribution of sensory factors to visual attention deficits has not been delineated. The magnocellular stream, which is diminished in aging, provides the dominant input to attention, and could provide a direct visual sensory explanation for these attentional losses.