Motion adaptation in area MT

In many sensory systems, exposure to a prolonged stimulus causes adaptation, which tends to reduce neural responses to subsequent stimuli. Such effects are usually stimulus-specific, making adaptation a powerful probe into information processing. We used dynamic random dot kinematograms to test the magnitude and selectivity of adaptation effects in the middle temporal area (MT) and to compare them to effects on human motion discrimination. After 3 s of adaptation to a random dot pattern moving in the preferred direction, MT neuronal responses to subsequent test patterns were reduced by 26% on average compared with adaptation to a static pattern. This reduction in response magnitude was largely independent of what test stimulus was presented. However, adaptation in the opposite direction changed responses less often and very inconsistently. Therefore motion adaptation systematically and profoundly affects the neurons in MT representing the adapted direction, but much less those representing the opposite direction. In human psychophysical experiments, such adapting stimuli affected direction discrimination, biasing choices away from the adaptation direction. The magnitude of this perceptual shift was consistent with the magnitude of the changes seen in area MT, if one assumes that a motion comparison step occurs after MT.