Mikhail Katkov, Alexander Cooperman , Noya Meital-Kfir, Dov Sagi
{"title":"Motion-induced blindness as a noisy excitable system","authors":"Mikhail Katkov, Alexander Cooperman , Noya Meital-Kfir, Dov Sagi","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2024.108363","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Perceptual disappearance of a salient target induced by a moving texture mask (MIB: Motion-Induced Blindness) is a striking effect, currently poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether the dynamics of MIB qualify as an excitable system. Excitable systems exhibit fast switches from one state to another (e.g., visible/invisible) induced by an above-threshold perturbation and stimulus-independent dynamics, followed by a </span>refractory period. In the experiments, disappearance was induced by masks consisting of slowly rotating radial bars with a gap at the target location, leading to periodic perturbation of the visual field around the target (a bright parafoveal spot). When passed around the target location, masks frequently induced an abrupt target disappearance, pointing to locality. As expected from excitable systems, the disappearance time was not affected by additional bars crossing the target during invisibility, and there was little dependence on the mask configuration. After the target reappeared, it stayed for at least 0.5–2 s (the refractory period). Therefore, the dynamics governing MIB represent an example of an excitable system, where the transition to the invisible state is induced by the mask. The dynamics that follow were determined mostly by the internal network properties.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Vision Research","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698924000075","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Perceptual disappearance of a salient target induced by a moving texture mask (MIB: Motion-Induced Blindness) is a striking effect, currently poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether the dynamics of MIB qualify as an excitable system. Excitable systems exhibit fast switches from one state to another (e.g., visible/invisible) induced by an above-threshold perturbation and stimulus-independent dynamics, followed by a refractory period. In the experiments, disappearance was induced by masks consisting of slowly rotating radial bars with a gap at the target location, leading to periodic perturbation of the visual field around the target (a bright parafoveal spot). When passed around the target location, masks frequently induced an abrupt target disappearance, pointing to locality. As expected from excitable systems, the disappearance time was not affected by additional bars crossing the target during invisibility, and there was little dependence on the mask configuration. After the target reappeared, it stayed for at least 0.5–2 s (the refractory period). Therefore, the dynamics governing MIB represent an example of an excitable system, where the transition to the invisible state is induced by the mask. The dynamics that follow were determined mostly by the internal network properties.
期刊介绍:
Vision Research is a journal devoted to the functional aspects of human, vertebrate and invertebrate vision and publishes experimental and observational studies, reviews, and theoretical and computational analyses. Vision Research also publishes clinical studies relevant to normal visual function and basic research relevant to visual dysfunction or its clinical investigation. Functional aspects of vision is interpreted broadly, ranging from molecular and cellular function to perception and behavior. Detailed descriptions are encouraged but enough introductory background should be included for non-specialists. Theoretical and computational papers should give a sense of order to the facts or point to new verifiable observations. Papers dealing with questions in the history of vision science should stress the development of ideas in the field.