Area MST and heading perception in macaque monkeys

The macaque medial superior temporal area (MST) is proposed to be specialized for analyzing complex 'optic flow' information. Such space-varying motion patterns provide a rich source of information about self motion, scene structure and object shape. We report the performance of rhesus macaques on a two-alternative 'heading' task, in which they reported whether horizontally varying, simulated trajectories were to left or right of center. Monkeys were sensitive to small heading angles; thresholds averaged 1.5-3degrees. Heading estimates were stable in the face of changing stimulus location and smooth pursuit eye movements. In addition, we tested the role of area MST in heading judgements by electrically activating columns of neurons in this area while the monkeys performed the heading task. Activation of MST frequently affected performance, usually causing choice biases. These induced biases were often large and usually concordant with the preference of the neurons being activated. In addition, the induced biases were often larger in the presence of smooth pursuit eye movements. These results favor the hypothesis that MST is involved in recovering self-motion direction from optic flow cues and in the process by which heading perception is compensated for ongoing eye movements.