Neural correlates of shape from shading.

Full Abstract

Psychophysical studies have shown that human observers resolve shape-from-shading ambiguities by assuming that light is coming from above-left. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we measured the processing time of the perception of an ambiguous shaded pattern. We found that the N2 component followed the change of perceived shape with stimulus orientation. We also found that the P1 component in occipital and temporal areas was correlated with the observers' idiosyncratic bias for light source position. The precocity of the correlated ERP components suggests that the light source is represented early in the visual system. Altogether, our results indicate that shape-from-shading is a mostly bottom-up mechanism.

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Author information

Author/s: Mamassian, Pascal (P); Jentzsch, Ines (I); Bacon, Benoit A (BA); Schweinberger, Stefan R (SR);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK. pascal(-atsign-)psy.gla.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Neuroreport (Neuroreport), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-May; vol 14 (issue 7) : pp 971-5

Dates: Created 2003/06/12; Completed 2003/09/02; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12802185, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain - physiology
Evoked Potentials - physiology

Humans
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Visual Perception - physiology

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