Large receptive fields for optic flow detection in humans

We used a psychophysical summation technique to study the properties of detectors tuned to radial, circular and translational motion, and to determine the spatial extent of their receptive fields. Signal-to-noise motion thresholds were measured for patterns curtailed spatially in various ways. Sensitivity for radial, circular and translational motion increased with stimulus area at a rate predicted by an ideal integrator. When sectors of noise were added to the stimulus, sensitivity decreased at a rate consistent with an ideal integrator. Summation was tested for large annular stimuli, and shown to hold up to 70 degrees in some cases, suggesting very large receptive fields for this type of motion (consistent with the physiology of neurones in the dorsal region of the medial superior temporal area (MSTd)). This is a far greater area than observed for summation of contrast sensitivity to gratings (Anderson SJ and Burr DC, Vis Res 1987;29:621-635, and to this type of stimuli (Morrone MC, Burr DC and Vaina LM, Nature 1995;376:507-509, consistent with the suggestion that the two techniques examine different levels of motion analysis.