Computing 3D object shape from motion cues

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant?s abstract) This project proposes to investigate how the human visual system uses motion cues to construct three-dimensional (3D) representations of object shape. One of the most salient cues that the visual system can use to recover 3D shape information is the relative 2D motion of an object?s parts. However, it is unclear which visual areas are involved in extracting shape information from motion cues. Motion information is typically confined to the dorsal visual pathway and information about object shape is typically associated with the ventral visual pathway. Thus, determining where information about motion and form are brought together in the visual cortex is a fundamental first step in understanding how the brain uses motion to construct 3D representations of object shape. We propose to identify the brain regions involved by using fMRI in a series of experiments, each examining a different feature of structure-from-motion stimuli including motion transparency, depth, and object shape. The final set of experiments will evaluate the degree to which structure-from-motion perception relies on a common visual-form area versus the degree to which motion-specific regions are involved.