Spatial neural modulation transfer function of human foveal visual system for equiluminous chromatic gratings

To determine the spatial modulation transfer function (MTF) of the human foveal visual system for equiluminous chromatic gratings we measured contrast sensitivity as a function of retinal illuminance for spatial frequencies of 0.125-4 c/deg with equiluminous red-green and blue-yellow gratings. Contrast sensitivity fbr chromatic gratings first increased with luminance, obeying the Rose-DeVries law, but then the increase saturated and contrast sensitivity became independent of light level, obeying Weber's law. Critical retinal illuminance (I-c) marking the transition point between the laws was found to be independent of spatial frequency at 165 phot. td. According to our detection model of human spatial vision the MTF of the retina and subsequent neural visual pathways (P-c) is directly proportional to rootI(c). Hence, P-c is independent of spatial frequency, reflecting the lack of precortical lateral inhibition for equiluminous chromatic stimuli in spatiochromatically opponent retinal ganglion cells and dLGN neurons. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.