Optic Flow Signals in Extrastriate Area MST: Comparison of Perceptual and Neuronal Sensitivity

The medial superior temporal area of extrastriate cortex (MST) contains signals selective for nonuniform patterns of motion often termed "optic flow." The presence of such tuning, however, does not necessarily imply involvement in perception. To quantify the relationship between these selective neuronal signals and the perception of optic flow, we designed a discrimination task that allowed us to simultaneously record neuronal and behavioral sensitivities to near-threshold optic flow stimuli tailored to MST cells' preferences. In this two-alternative forced-choice task, we controlled the salience of globally opposite patterns (e.g., expansion and contraction) by varying the coherence of the motion. Using these stimuli, we could both relate the sensitivity of neuronal signals in MST to the animal's behavioral sensitivity and also measure trial-by-trial correlation between neuronal signals and behavioral choices. Neurons in MST showed a wide range of sensitivities to these complex motion stimuli. Many neurons had sensitivities equal or superior to the monkey's threshold. On the other hand, trial-by-trial correlation between neuronal discharge and choice ("choice probability") was weak or nonexistent in our data. Together, these results lead us to conclude that MST contains sufficient information for threshold judgments of optic flow; however, the role of MST activity in optic flow discriminations may be less direct than in other visual motion tasks previously described by other laboratories.