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Eysel, U. T.; Burandt, U. (1984): Fluorescent tube light evokes flicker responses in visual neurons. In: Vision
research, Jg. 24, H. 9, S. 943–948.
Abstract Single neurons in the cat visual system respond distinctly to the temporal
information present in light from fluorescent tubes driven by 50 or 60 Hz alternating
current. Despite the resulting flicker frequencies of 100 or 120 Hz all retinal and
most thalamic neurons show strong phase locking of the neuronal responses to the
modulation of fluorescent tube light. Some retinal ganglion cells have not yet
reached their critical flicker fusion frequency under such conditions. Though usually
beyond perception, the frequency and depth of modulation of artificial light thus
might well play a role in biological light effects.
Schlagwörter Animals; Cats; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Flicker Fusionphysiology; Geniculate
Bodiesphysiology; Light; Lighting; Optic Nervephysiology; Photometry;
Retinaphysiology; Retinal Ganglion Cellsphysiology

Frascella, J.; Lehmkuhle, S. (1984): An electrophysiological assessment of X and Y cells as pattern and flicker
detectors in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat. In: Experimental brain research. Experimentelle
Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale, Jg. 55, H. 1, S. 117–126.
Abstract We tested the hypothesis that geniculate X cells are the neural substrate of
psychophysically identified pattern channels and that geniculate Y cells are the
neural substrate of psychophysically identified flicker channels. The hypothesis was
tested by measuring the relative sensitivity of isolated X and Y cells in the dorsal
lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat to counterphase and on-off grating
presentations. The fundamental and second harmonic responses of X and Y cells to
sinusoidal counterphase and on-off temporal modulation were measured at a
number of spatial frequencies using two contrasts, 0.1 and 0.4. The fundamental
responses of both X and Y cells to sinusoidal counterphase were greater relative to
on-off responses. The second harmonic responses of Y cells to counterphase were
larger at high spatial frequencies. Contrast sensitivity also was measured. At all
spatial frequencies, both X and Y cells were slightly more sensitive to counterphase
than to on-off presentations. Since flicker sensitivity in humans is twice as high for
counterphase as for on-off presentations across all spatial frequencies, whereas
pattern sensitivity is equal for the two presentations, we conclude that X and Y cells
do not subserve uniquely pattern and flicker sensitivity, respectively. This
conclusion is based on the result that differences between X and Y cells to
counterphase and on-off presentations were inconsistent with the differences
observed for pattern and flicker sensitivity. We suggest then that a spatial/temporal
dichotomy does not seem to accurately characterize the functional roles of X and Y
cells.
Schlagwörter Animals; Brain Mapping; Cats; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Flicker Fusionphysiology;
Form Perceptionphysiology; Geniculate Bodiescytology; Neuronsclassification;
Pattern Recognition, Visualphysiology; Retinaphysiology; Sensory Thresholds;
Synaptic Transmission

Magnussen, S.; Spillmann, L.; Stürzel, F.; Werner, J. S. (2001): Filling-in of the foveal blue scotoma. In: Vision
research, Jg. 41, H. 23, S. 2961–2967.
Abstract The blue-blindness (tritanopia) of the human foveola normally goes unnoticed but
can be directly visualized by having observers view a flickering, monochromatic,
short-wavelength field. The blue scotoma appears as a tiny dark spot in central
vision, the visibility of which depends upon the wavelength of the field and the
temporal frequency of modulation. Comparisons of fading times as a function of
flicker frequency for the blue scotoma, foveal afterimages and optically stabilized
images indicate a common time course, consistent with the hypothesis that
perceptual filling-in of the foveal blue scotoma reflects the operation of neural
processes similar to those involved in fading and regeneration of stabilized images.
Schlagwörter Afterimagephysiology; Flicker Fusion; Humans; Optic Diskphysiology; Perceptual
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Closurephysiology

Regan, D.; Lee, B. B.: A comparison of the 40-Hz response in man, and the properties of macaque ganglion
cells. In: Visual neuroscience, Jg. 10, H. 3, S. 439–445.
Abstract Visually evoked field potentials in human subjects and single-cell responses from
retinal ganglion cells in the macaque monkey were compared in closely similar
stimulus situations. The classical heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP)
technique was used to measure spectral sensitivity in man, both psychophysically
and by recording the 40-Hz response, and to measure the spectral sensitivity of
magnocellular (MC-) pathway cells of the macaque. The three measures gave
closely similar spectral-sensitivity curves. Close agreement between the three
measures was also found when the variable-modulation HFP technique was used
to measure spectral sensitivity. When the relative phase between red and green
lights was varied, the point of minimum subjective flicker for human observers was
close to a sharp minimum found in the amplitude of the 40-Hz response in human
and was also close to a minimum in the response of MC-pathway neurons in the
monkey. The human 40-Hz response saturated at between 10 and 30% modulation
depth, and so did the response of MC-pathway cells in the monkey. The 16-Hz
response in human showed none of the above correlations with MC-pathway
properties. On the other hand, parvocellular (PC-) pathway cells responded
vigorously to constant-luminance, chromatic modulation, at frequencies higher than
can be detected by human observers. The human 16-Hz response also was strong
in that stimulus situation. In addition, the response of PC-pathway cells on
increasing modulation depth showed little saturation, and this behaviour was
paralleled by the human 16-Hz response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250
WORDS)
Schlagwörter Animals; Evoked Potentials, Visualphysiology; Humans; Macaca; Occipital
Lobephysiology; Photic Stimulation; Psychophysics; Retinal Ganglion
Cellsphysiology; Sensory Thresholds; Visual Pathwaysphysiology; Visual
Perceptionphysiology

Schieting, S.; Spillmann, L. (1987): Flicker adaptation in the peripheral retina. In: Vision research, Jg. 27, H. 2,
S. 277–284.
Abstract With strict fixation, a flickering light spot smaller than 3 deg presented to the
peripheral retina will rapidly appear to lose contrast and stop flickering within 35 s,
before fading away completely. The time required for this adaptation to occur
decreases with: decreasing depth of modulation (97-9%); decreasing stimulus
diameter (2 deg-7 min arc); increasing retinal eccentricity (20-50 deg); and
increasing flicker frequency (1-7 Hz). Interestingly, the effect does not depend upon
the regularity of the flickering stimulus, and it occurs twice as fast for stimuli
presented to the temporal retina as for stimuli presented to the nasal retina. When
changes in retinal eccentricity are compensated for by taking into account the
cortical magnification factor, the time needed for perceived flicker to disappear
remains constant at all eccentricities. With dichoptic stimulation interocular transfer
is about 35%, suggesting a cortical contribution to flicker adaptation. The results
indicate that the visual system adapts rather easily to peripheral flickering stimuli.
Similarities as well as differences to motion adaptation are discussed.
Schlagwörter Adaptation, Ocular; Fixation, Ocular; Humans; Motion Perceptionphysiology;
Retinaphysiology; Vision, Ocularphysiology; Visual Cortexphysiology; Visual
Perceptionphysiology

Seitz, Aaron R.; Nanez, Jose E.; Holloway, Steve R.; Watanabe, Takeo (2006): Perceptual learning of motion
leads to faster flicker perception. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 1, S. e28. Online verfügbar unter
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000028.
Abstract Critical flicker fusion thresholds (CFFT) describe when quick amplitude modulations
of a light source become undetectable as the frequency of the modulation
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increases. The threshold at which CFF occurs has been shown to remain constant
under repeated testing. Additionally, CFF thresholds are correlated with various
measures of intelligence, and have been regarded by clinicians as a general
measure of cortical processing capacity. For these reasons, CFF is used as a
cognitive indicator in drug studies, as a measure of fatigue, and has been
suggested as a diagnostic measure for various brain diseases. Here we report that
CFFT increases dramatically in subjects who are trained with a motion-direction
learning procedure. Control tasks demonstrate that CFFT changes are tightly
coupled with improvements in discriminating the direction of motion stimuli, and are
likely related to plasticity in low-level visual areas that are specialized to process
motion signals. This plasticity is long-lasting and is retained for at least one year
after training. Combined, these results show that CFFT relates to a specialized
sensory process and bring into question that CFFT is a measure of high-level, or
general, processes.

Spekreijse, H.; van Norren, D.; van den Berg, T. J. (1971): Flicker responses in monkey lateral geniculate
nucleus and human perception of flicker. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America, Jg. 68, H. 11, S. 2802–2805.
Abstract An analysis was made of the impulse discharge patterns-evoked by sinusoidal
luminance modulation-of single cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the
macaque monkey. The goal was to determine whether a correspondence could be
observed between flicker detection by human subjects in psychophysical
experiments and electrophysiological measurements of discharge patterns of single
cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus. We found that the average discharge
patterns of single cells exhibited the following behavior when mean retinal
illumination was changed: In the low-frequency region (less than about 10 Hz) the
response strength (impulses/sec) is independent of the mean luminance, in
accordance with Weber's law; in the high-frequency region (above about 10 Hz) the
response depends on the absolute modulation amplitude, in accordance with the
Ferry-Porter law. Therefore the main features of human critical flicker frequency
data are already present in the cellular (lateral geniculate nucleus) response of the
macaque monkey. However, the steepness of high frequency fall-off in the
response characteristics of these cells is much less than the corresponding fall-off
in the human critical-flicker-frequency curves.
Schlagwörter Animals; Electrophysiology; Flicker Fusion; Geniculate Bodiesphysiology;
Haplorhini; Humans; Macaca; Stereotaxic Techniques; Visual Perception

Thomas, C. G.; Menon, R. S. (1998): Amplitude response and stimulus presentation frequency response of
human primary visual cortex using BOLD EPI at 4 T. In: Magnetic resonance in medicine : official journal of the
Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine / Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Jg. 40, H. 2, S.
203–209.
Abstract Detailed measurement of the neural response to flicker frequency using functional
MRI (fMRI) were made. The fMRI signal peaks at a flicker frequency of 8 Hz in
human V1, in agreement with previous positron emission tomography (PET) and
fMRI experiments. The modulation amplitude of the hemodynamic response to
varying continuous periods of flicker stimulation was measured. The hemodynamic
response was not observed to be modulated by neural modulation for periods
shorter than 6.7 s. The resemblance between the BOLD response to the stimulus
presentation frequency and the base-line power spectra at the same frequencies
suggests that the same underlying mechanism could be responsible for both curves
and that the base-line fMRI power spectrum is probably due to base-line electrical
activity in the brain. The integrals of the resting base-line power spectrum, the
background power spectrum, the respiration component, and the cardiac
component were found to be linearly dependent on TE.
Schlagwörter Adult; Echo-Planar Imaginginstrumentation; Female; Flicker Fusionphysiology;
Fourier Analysis; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assistedinstrumentation;
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Magnetic Resonance Imaginginstrumentation; Male; Sensory
Thresholdsphysiology; Visual Cortexphysiology

Trehub, A. (1965): Spontaneous slow modulation of flicker-evoked response in human brain. In:
Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology, Jg. 19, H. 2, S. 182–184.
Schlagwörter Cerebral Cortexphysiology; Electroencephalography; Humans; Light

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