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Primate cortical area V4 important for colour constancy but not wavelength discrimination

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Abstract

One of the remarkable features of vision is that the perceived colour of reflecting surfaces which form part of complex, multicoloured scenes, remains stable despite large variations in the spectral composition of the illuminating light1–5. The phenomenon of colour constancy has long been known but only recently have electrophysiological studies revealed a possible mechanism for it in an area of visual cortex, the V4 complex in the rhesus monkey. Lesions in the V4 complex of experimental animals6,7 have produced little if any impairment of wavelength discrimination, but colour constancy has not been tested. In the present study we used a broader range of behavioural tasks, including one of colour constancy, to test the prediction that ablation of the V4 complex leads to selective deficits in colour perception. The results support the notion that the V4 complex is necessary for colour constancy but not for the discrimination of hue.

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Author notes

  1. S. R. Butler: Anatomy Department, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, PO Box 363, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Visual Sciences Laboratory, Ophthalmic Optics Department, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK

    H. M. Wild, S. R. Butler, D. Carden & J. J. Kulikowski

Authors
  1. H. M. Wild
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  2. S. R. Butler
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  3. D. Carden
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  4. J. J. Kulikowski
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Wild, H., Butler, S., Carden, D. et al. Primate cortical area V4 important for colour constancy but not wavelength discrimination. Nature 313, 133–135 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/313133a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/313133a0

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