Topographic organization of eye-position dependent gain fields in human visual cortex

The ability to move has introduced animals with the problem of sensory ambiguity: the position of an external stimulus could change over time because the stimulus moved, or because the animal moved its receptors. This ambiguity can be resolved with a change in neural response gain as a function of receptor orientation. Here, we developed an encoding model to capture gain modulation of visual responses in high field (7T) fMRI data. We characterized population eye-position dependent gain fields (pEGF). The information contained in the pEGFs allowed us to reconstruct eye positions over time across the visual hierarchy. We discovered a systematic distribution of pEGF centers: pEGF centers shift from contra- to ipsilateral following pRF eccentricity. Such a topographical organization suggests that signals beyond pure retinotopy are accessible early in the visual hierarchy, providing the potential to solve sensory ambiguity and optimize sensory processing information for functionally relevant behavior.

Automated summary

The ability to move introduces animals with the problem of sensory ambiguity. This ambiguity can be resolved through changes in neural response gain. The study found a systematic distribution of population eye-position dependent gain fields, suggesting that signals beyond retinotopy are accessible in the early visual hierarchy, providing potential to solve sensory ambiguity and optimize sensory processing information.