A neural model of surface perception: lightness, anchoring, and filling-in.

Full Abstract

A neural model is proposed of how the visual system processes natural images under variable illumination conditions to generate surface lightness percepts. Previous models clarify how the brain can compute relative contrast. The anchored Filling-In Lightness Model (aFILM) clarifies how the brain 'anchors' lightness percepts to determine an absolute lightness scale that uses the full dynamic range of neurons. The model quantitatively simulates lightness anchoring properties (Articulation, Insulation, Configuration, Area Effect) and other lightness data (discounting the illuminant, the double brilliant illusion, lightness constancy and contrast, Mondrian contrast constancy, Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet illusion). The model clarifies how retinal processing stages achieve light adaptation and spatial contrast adaptation, and how cortical processing stages fill-in surface lightness using long-range horizontal connections that are gated by boundary signals. The new filling-in mechanism runs 1000 times faster than diffusion mechanisms of previous filling-in models.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Grossberg, Stephen (S); Hong, Simon (S);

Affiliation: Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems and Center for Adaptive Systems, Boston University, 677 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA. steve(-atsign-)bu.edu

Journal and publication information

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

Journal: Spatial vision (Spat Vis), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-; vol 19 (issue 2-4) : pp 263-321

Dates: Created 2006/07/25; Completed 2006/08/10; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 16862842, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Photic Stimulation
Retina - physiology
Visual Cortex - physiology

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

Cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 speeds up the cone response to light offset in goldfish retina. 27 Feb 2006
An electrophysiological metric of activity within the ON- and OFF-pathways in humans. 27 Feb 1997
Does cortical motion adaptation exhibit functional properties analogous to light adaptation in the retina? 30 May 1999
Chromatic light adaptation measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. 13 Sep 2002
The human Retinal Functional Unit. 30 Aug 2005
Border-ownership-dependent tilt aftereffect. 29 Sep 2005
Visible light induces matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in rat eye. 9 Sep 2007
Lower-level visual processing and models of light adaptation. 30 Dec 1997
Similarities and dissimilarities between pattern VEPs and motion VEPs. 30 Dec 1997
Tilt aftereffects in a self-organizing model of the primary visual cortex. 29 Jun 2000

See 100+ related articles.