Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location
The natural blind spot in the visual field has been known as a large oval region that cannot receive any optical input because it corresponds to the retinal optic disk containing no rod/cone-photoreceptors. Recently, stimulation inside the blind spot was found to enhance, but not trigger, the pupill...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2018
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| _version_ | 1797099146461577216 |
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| author | Saito, M Miyamoto, K Uchiyama, Y Murakami, I |
| author_facet | Saito, M Miyamoto, K Uchiyama, Y Murakami, I |
| author_sort | Saito, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The natural blind spot in the visual field has been known as a large oval region that cannot receive any optical input because it corresponds to the retinal optic disk containing no rod/cone-photoreceptors. Recently, stimulation inside the blind spot was found to enhance, but not trigger, the pupillary light reflex. However, it is unknown whether blind-spot stimulation also affects visual perception. We addressed this question using psychophysical brightness-matching experiments. We found that a test stimulus outside the blind spot was judged as darker when it was accompanied by a consciously unexperienced blue oval inside the blind spot; moreover, the pupillary light reflex was enhanced. These findings suggested that a photo-sensitive mechanism inside the optic disk, presumably involving the photopigment melanopsin, contributes to our image-forming vision and provides a ‘reference’ for calibrating the perceived brightness of visual objects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:19:31Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:de62d30c-20dc-4863-abc6-ddac20f6600d |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:19:31Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:de62d30c-20dc-4863-abc6-ddac20f6600d2022-03-27T09:31:58ZInvisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote locationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:de62d30c-20dc-4863-abc6-ddac20f6600dEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordSpringer Nature2018Saito, MMiyamoto, KUchiyama, YMurakami, IThe natural blind spot in the visual field has been known as a large oval region that cannot receive any optical input because it corresponds to the retinal optic disk containing no rod/cone-photoreceptors. Recently, stimulation inside the blind spot was found to enhance, but not trigger, the pupillary light reflex. However, it is unknown whether blind-spot stimulation also affects visual perception. We addressed this question using psychophysical brightness-matching experiments. We found that a test stimulus outside the blind spot was judged as darker when it was accompanied by a consciously unexperienced blue oval inside the blind spot; moreover, the pupillary light reflex was enhanced. These findings suggested that a photo-sensitive mechanism inside the optic disk, presumably involving the photopigment melanopsin, contributes to our image-forming vision and provides a ‘reference’ for calibrating the perceived brightness of visual objects. |
| spellingShingle | Saito, M Miyamoto, K Uchiyama, Y Murakami, I Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title | Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title_full | Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title_fullStr | Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title_full_unstemmed | Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title_short | Invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
| title_sort | invisible light inside the natural blind spot alters brightness at a remote location |
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