Constructive Brain Processes in Motion Perception

Bistable perceptions allow the dissociation of perception- from stimulus-related neural processes. We investigated the neural mechanisms underlying bistable apparent motion (AM) perception using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a first set of experiments, we asked how perceptual reversals during bistable AM are coded in extrastriate visual areas. We assessed event-related activations associated with perceptual reversals during continuous presentation of two different ambiguous AM stimuli, the 'spinning wheel illusion' and the 'dynamic dot quartet' (see figure). Contrasting with previous studies t…