Open AccessFacilitation of neural responses to targets moving against optic flow
Author(s) -
Sarah Nicholas,
Karin Nordström
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2024966118
Subject(s) - facilitation , neuroscience , observer (physics) , computer science , clutter , motion perception , contrast (vision) , computer vision , rotation around a fixed axis , motion (physics) , communication , optical flow , artificial intelligence , physics , biology , psychology , radar , telecommunications , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , image (mathematics)
Significance Target detection in visual clutter is a difficult computational task that insects, with their poor spatial resolution compound eyes and small brains, do successfully and with extremely short behavioral delays. We here show that the responses of target selective descending neurons are attenuated by background motion in the same direction as target motion but facilitated by background motion in the opposite direction. This finding is important for understanding how target pursuit can occur in tandem with gaze stabilization. Indeed, the neural facilitation would come into effect if the hoverfly is subjected to background motion in one direction but the target it is pursuing moves in the opposite direction and could therefore be used to override gaze stabilizing corrective turns.