fMRI evidence for disinhibition theory

Abstract

The motion aftereffect (MAE) induced by prolonged exposure to a unidirectional motion is a well-known illusion in visual perception. Although the direction-selective properties and opponency of the middle temporal (MT) area have been studied using a variety of techniques and stimuli, the way that the neural dynamics change during and after adaptation as the trial progresses is unclear, as are the areas that are simultaneously included during the MAE. The voxel preference tagging method in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment revealed the neuronal correlate in visual areas based on the disinhibition theory, especially in area MT. We also conducted an experiment to control the feature-selective attention, which alters perception, and found no difference between the two conditions. In conclusion, area MT follows the opponency and disinhibition theory, and even though a MAE was not perceived subjectively, the neural signature was evident.