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Continuous flash suppression reduces negative afterimages

Nature Neuroscience volume 8, pages 1096–1101 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Illusions that produce perceptual suppression despite constant retinal input are used to manipulate visual consciousness. Here we report on a powerful variant of existing techniques, continuous flash suppression. Distinct images flashed successively at ∼10 Hz into one eye reliably suppress an image presented to the other eye. The duration of perceptual suppression is at least ten times greater than that produced by binocular rivalry. Using this tool we show that the strength of the negative afterimage of an adaptor was reduced by half when it was perceptually suppressed by input from the other eye. The more completely the adaptor was suppressed, the more strongly the afterimage intensity was reduced. Paradoxically, trial-to-trial visibility of the adaptor did not correlate with the degree of reduction. Our results imply that formation of afterimages involves neuronal structures that access input from both eyes but that do not correspond directly to the neuronal correlates of perceptual awareness.

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Figure 1: Continuous flash suppression.
Figure 2: CFS suppresses a Gabor patch and reduces its afterimage.
Figure 3: Mondrian flashes themselves do not reduce the afterimage of the Gabor.
Figure 4: Relationship between afterimage reduction and the reliability of suppression.
Figure 5: Visibility and afterimage reduction.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Kanai, C. Hofstoetter, D.A. Wu, F. Moradi, R. Van Rullen and S. Shimojo for discussion. This research was funded by grants from the US National Institute of Mental Health, the US National Science Foundation, the Keck Foundation and the Moore Foundation.

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  1. Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, M/s 139-74, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    Naotsugu Tsuchiya & Christof Koch

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  1. Naotsugu Tsuchiya
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Correspondence to Naotsugu Tsuchiya.

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Tsuchiya, N., Koch, C. Continuous flash suppression reduces negative afterimages. Nat Neurosci 8, 1096–1101 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1500

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