Citation

Bays PM, Husain M. Neuroreport 2007; 18(12): 1207-1213.

Affiliation

Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK. p.bays@ion.ucl.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/WNR.0b013e328244e6c3

PMID

17632269

PMCID

PMC2531238

Abstract

Recent research has identified neurons in the visual system that remap their receptive fields before a saccade. The activity of these neurons may signal a prediction of postsaccadic visual input, derived from an efference copy of saccadic motor output. Such a prediction is often thought to underlie our perception of a stable visual world, by compensating for the shifts in retinal image that accompany each eye movement. Here we review the evidence, and conclude that prediction does not in fact play a significant role in maintaining visual stability. Instead, we consider a novel perspective in which the primary function of spatial remapping is to support three key nonperceptual processes: action control, sensorimotor adaptation and spatial memory.

Language: en