Article: Tootell, R.B.H., J.B. Reppas, et al. “Visual Motion Aftereffect in Human Cortical Area MT Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.” Nature 375 (1995): 139–41.  DOI: 10.1038/375139a0

Assignment: Read the assigned article carefully (expect to spend at least one hour on this, possibly more) and think about it, then provide short answers to the questions below.

1. What is the characteristic functional (response) property of cortical area MT (V5)? Answer in a phrase or sentence.
   1. Motion selectivity
2. Which aspect of Figure 2 shows the central new finding of the paper?
   1. There is no aftereffect with alternating motion, but expanding and contracting motion does have it.
3. Does activity in cortical area MT reflect what the subject is perceiving, or what visual information is arriving on the retina? Answer and explain in at most 3 clear sentences.
   1. Due to the aftereffect, the activity in the MT reflects what the subject is perceiving. The activity is high while the subject perceives a stationary object to be moving.

375139a0.pdf