Fundamental mechanisms of visual motion detection: Models, cells and functions

Abstract

Taking a comparative approach, data from a range of visual species are discussed in the context of ideas about mechanisms of motion detection. The cellular basis of motion detection in the vertebrate retina, sub-cortical structures and visual cortex is reviewed alongside that of the insect optic lobes. Special care is taken to relate concepts from theoretical models to the neural circuitry in biological systems. Motion detection involves spatiotemporal pre-filters, temporal delay filters and non-linear interactions. A number of different types of non-linear mechanism such as facilitation, inhibition and division have been proposed to underlie direction selectivity. The resulting direction-se..