Color from invisible patterns | Nature Neuroscience

ABSTRACT Human pattern resolution is limited by optical blurring1 as well as neural filtering1,2,3 by a cascade of retinal and cortical sites4,5,6 with progressively lower resolution limits.

Curiously, pattern structure can influence perceived color: a high-contrast, monochromatic (single wavelength) pattern appears desaturated (closer to white) relative to a uniform field of

the same wavelength3,7,8. Here we show that this desaturation is evident even when the pattern's frequency is too high for conscious perception, implicating a nonlinear process—namely

light adaptation—at the level of single cone photoreceptors. We propose a neural mechanism in which fast, involuntary eye movements serve to shift control over perception between two

competing cone populations, each operating at different levels of adaptation. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your

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* Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS LINEAR AND NONLINEAR CHROMATIC INTEGRATION IN THE MOUSE RETINA

Article Open access 26 March 2021 CONTEXT-DEPENDENT SELECTIVITY TO NATURAL IMAGES IN THE RETINA Article Open access 22 September 2022 LARGE ENHANCEMENT OF SIMULTANEOUS COLOR CONTRAST BY

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Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported by grant EY-01711 from the National Institutes of Health. We wish to thank A. Shady, D. Hood, A. Holcombe and D. Beer for

their comments on an earlier manuscript. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0109, La Jolla,

92037, California, USA Sherif Shady & Donald I.A. MacLeod Authors * Sherif Shady View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Donald I.A.

MacLeod View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Sherif Shady. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The

authors declare no competing financial interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Shady, S., MacLeod, D. Color from invisible patterns.

_Nat Neurosci_ 5, 729–730 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn894 Download citation * Received: 20 February 2002 * Accepted: 31 May 2002 * Published: 22 July 2002 * Issue Date: 01 August 2002

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