https://www.pisavisionlab.org Research centre dedicated to frontier, interdisciplinary research of human perception Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:04:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.13 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/investigating-cross-orientation-inhibition-with-continuous-tracking/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:38:08 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4866 Journal of Vision 24 We investigated cross-orientation inhibition with the recently developed continuous tracking technique. We designed an experiment where participants tracked the horizontal motion of a narrow vertical grating. The target was superimposed on one of three different backgrounds, in separate sessions: a uniform gray background or a sinusoidal grating oriented either parallel or orthogonal to the target. Both mask and target where phase reversed. We cross-correlated target and mouse movements and compared the peaks and lags of response with the different masks. Our results are in agreement with previous findings on cross-orientation inhibition: The orthogonal mask had a weak effect on the peaks and lags of correlation as a function of target contrast, consistently with a divisive effect of the mask, while the parallel mask acted subtractively on the response. Interestingly, lags of correlation decreased approximately linearly with contrast, with decrements of the order of 100 ms, even at 10 times the detection threshold, confirming that it is possible to investigate behavioral differences above threshold using the continuous tracking paradigm. Ambrosi, Pierfrancesco, David Charles Burr, e Maria Concetta Morrone https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/investigating-cross-orientation-inhibition-with-continuous-tracking/i1534-7362-24-2-2_1706704546-25472/https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.24.2.2 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/disambiguating-vision-with-sound/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:42:19 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4869 Current Biology, 34(6), R235–R236 An important task for the visual system is to identify and segregate objects from background. Figure–ground illusions, such as Edgar Rubin’s bistable ‘vase–faces illusion’1, make the point clearly: we see either a central vase or lateral faces, alternating spontaneously, but never both images simultaneously. The border is perceptually assigned to either faces or vase, which become figure, the other shapeless background2. The stochastic alternation between figure and ground probably reflects mutual inhibitory processes that ensure a single perceptual outcome3. Which shape dominates perception depends on many factors, such as size, symmetry, convexity, enclosure, and so on, as well as attention and intention4. Here we show that the assignment of the visual border can be strongly influenced by auditory input, far more than is possible by voluntary intention. Gori, M., Burr, D., & Campus, C. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/disambiguating-vision-with-sound/1-s2-0-s0960982224000782-main/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.043 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/adaptation-to-numerosity-affects-the-pupillary-light-response/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 15:19:01 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4878 Sci Rep 14, 6097 (2024) We recently showed that the gain of the pupillary light response depends on numerosity, with weaker responses to fewer items. Here we show that this effect holds when the stimuli are physically identical but are perceived as less numerous due to numerosity adaptation. Twenty-eight participants adapted to low (10 dots) or high (160 dots) numerosities and subsequently watched arrays of 10–40 dots, with variable or homogeneous dot size. Luminance was constant across all stimuli. Pupil size was measured with passive viewing, and the effects of adaptation were checked in a separate psychophysical session. We found that perceived numerosity was systematically lower, and pupillary light responses correspondingly smaller, following adaptation to high rather than low numerosities. This is consistent with numerosity being a primary visual feature, spontaneously encoded even when task irrelevant, and affecting automatic and unconscious behaviours like the pupillary light response. C.Caponi, E. Castaldi, D.C. Burr, P. Binda https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/04/08/adaptation-to-numerosity-affects-the-pupillary-light-response/s41598-024-55646-w/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55646-w https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/07/08/effectiveness-of-labels-in-digital-art-experience-psychophysiological-and-behavioral-evidence/ Mon, 08 Jul 2024 10:23:52 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4913 Frontiers in Psychology Nowadays museums make large use of digital materials (e.g., virtual tours) to attract visitors. Therefore, it is worthwhile investigating which variables affect the engagement with art outside the museum, and whether digital reproductions of artworks are as effective as museum originals in producing a satisfying aesthetic experience. Here we tested the effectiveness of introducing additional informative materials on the artistic enjoyment of contemporary paintings presented on a computer screen. Naïve observers were exposed to essential and descriptive labels before viewing artworks. We flanked traditional measurement methods - viewing times and questionnaires, with biometric parameters - pupil responses, eye movements, heart rate, and electrodermal activity. The results were then compared to our previous museum study that adopted the same experimental paradigm. Our behavioral and psychophysiological data lead to a complex pattern of results. As found in the museum setting, providing detailed descriptions decreases complexity, evokes more positive sensations, and induces pupil dilation but does not enhance aesthetic appreciation. These results suggested that informative labels improve understanding and emotions but have a limited impact on the hedonic evaluation of artworks in both contexts. However, other results do not mirror those found in the museum; in the laboratory setting, participants spend a similar amount of time, have a comparable gaze behavior, and their electrodermal activity and heart rate do not change when viewing artworks with different types of labels. The main difference between the lab and museum settings is the shorter time spent viewing digital reproductions vs. real paintings, although subjective ratings (e.g., liking, interest) are comparable. Overall, this study indicates that the environmental context does impact the aesthetic experience; although, some beneficial effects of introducing additional relevant content in labels accompanying artworks can also be acquainted through digital media outside of the museum. Serena Castellotti, Ottavia D'Agostino, Maria Michela Del Viva https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/07/08/effectiveness-of-labels-in-digital-art-experience-psychophysiological-and-behavioral-evidence/castellotti2024_didlab/https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342667 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/03/neural-substrates-for-early-data-reduction-in-fast-vision-a-psychophysical-investigation/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 09:39:03 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4923 Brain Sciences To ensure survival, the visual system must rapidly extract the most important elements from a large stream of information. This necessity clashes with the computational limitations of the human brain, so a strong early data reduction is required to efficiently process information in fast vision. A theoretical early vision model, recently developed to preserve maximum information using minimal computational resources, allows efficient image data reduction by extracting simplified sketches containing only optimally informative, salient features. Here, we investigate the neural substrates of this mechanism for optimal encoding of information, possibly located in early visual structures. We adopted a flicker adaptation paradigm, which has been demonstrated to specifically impair the contrast sensitivity of the magnocellular pathway. We compared flicker-induced contrast threshold changes in three different tasks. The results indicate that, after adapting to a uniform flickering field, thresholds for image discrimination using briefly presented sketches increase. Similar threshold elevations occur for motion discrimination, a task typically targeting the magnocellular system. Instead, contrast thresholds for orientation discrimination, a task typically targeting the parvocellular system, do not change with flicker adaptation. The computation performed by this early data reduction mechanism seems thus consistent with magnocellular processing. Serena Castellotti & Maria Michela Del Viva https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/03/neural-substrates-for-early-data-reduction-in-fast-vision-a-psychophysical-investigation/castellotti2024_flicker/https://doi.org/ 10.3390/brainsci14080753 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/06/pupillometry-indexes-ocular-dominance-plasticity/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:06:16 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4931 Vision Research, Volume 222, 2024, 108449, ISSN 0042-6989 Short-term monocular deprivation in normally sighted adult humans produces a transient shift of ocular dominance, boosting the deprived eye. This effect has been documented with both perceptual tests and through physiological recordings, but no previous study simultaneously measured physiological responses and the perceptual effects of deprivation. Here we propose an integrated experimental paradigm that combines binocular rivalry with pupillometry, to introduce an objective physiological index of ocular dominance plasticity, acquired concurrently with perceptual testing. Ten participants reported the perceptual dynamics of binocular rivalry, while we measured pupil diameter. Stimuli were a white and a black disk, each presented monocularly. Rivalry dynamics and pupil-size traces were compared before and after 2 h of monocular deprivation, achieved by applying a translucent patch over the dominant eye. Consistent with prior research, we observed that monocular deprivation boosts the deprived-eye signal and consequently increases ocular dominance. In line with previous studies, we also observed subtle but systematic modulations of pupil size that tracked alternations between exclusive dominance phases of the black or white disk. Following monocular deprivation, the amplitude of these pupil-size modulations increased, which is consistent with the post-deprivation boost of the deprived eye and the increase of ocular dominance. This provides evidence that deprivation impacts the effective strength of monocular visual stimuli, coherently affecting perceptual reports and the automatic and unconscious regulation of pupil diameter. Our results show that a combined paradigm of binocular rivalry and pupillometry gives new insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying deprivation effects. Miriam Acquafredda, Paola Binda https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/06/pupillometry-indexes-ocular-dominance-plasticity/pupillometry-indexes-ocular-dominance-plasticity/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2024.108449 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/the-role-of-motor-effort-on-the-sensorimotor-number-system/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:13:24 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4935 Psychological Research The integration of numerical information with motor processes has emerged as a fascinating area of investigation in both animal and human cognition. The interest in a sensorimotor number system has recently generated neurophysiological and psychophysical evidence which combine to highlight the importance of motor functions in the encoding of numerical information. Nevertheless, several key questions remain, such as the influence of non-numerical motor parameters over numerical perception. Here we tested the role of physical effort, a parameter positively correlated with the number of actions, in modulating the link between hand-actions and visual numerosity perception. Effort was manipulated during sensorimotor adaptation as well as during a new actions-estimation paradigm. The results of Experiment 1 shows that physical effort in the absence of actions (passive effort) is not sufficient to activate the sensorimotor number system, indicating that self-produced actions are instead necessary. Further experiments demonstrated that effort is marginally integrated during motor adaptation (Experiment 2) but discarded when estimating the number of self-produced hand actions (Experiment 3). Overall, the results indicate that the sensorimotor number system is largely fed by the number of discrete actions rather than the amount of effort but also indicates that effort (under specific circumstances) might be integrated. These findings provide novel insights into the sensorimotor numerical integration, paving the way for future investigations, such as on its functional role. Benedetto, A., Chelli, E., Petrizzo, I., Arrighi, R., & Anobile, G. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/the-role-of-motor-effort-on-the-sensorimotor-number-system/s00426-024-02002-2/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-024-02002-2 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/neurocognitive-assessment-of-mathematics-related-capacities-in-neurosurgical-patients/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:18:07 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4938 Brain Sciences, 14(1) A precise neuropsychological assessment is of the utmost importance for neurosurgical patients undergoing the surgical excision of cerebral lesions. The assessment of mathematical abilities is usually limited to arithmetical operations while other fundamental visuo-spatial aspects closely linked to mathematics proficiency, such as the perception of numerical quantities and geometrical reasoning, are completely neglected. We evaluated these abilities with two objective and reproducible psychophysical tests, measuring numerosity perception and non-symbolic geometry, respectively. We tested sixteen neuro-oncological patients before the operation and six after the operation with classical neuropsychological tests and with two psychophysical tests. The scores of the classical neuropsychological tests were very heterogeneous, possibly due to the distinct location and histology of the tumors that might have spared (or not) brain areas subserving these abilities or allowed for plastic reorganization. Performance in the two non-symbolic tests reflected, on average, the presumed functional role of the lesioned areas, with participants with parietal and frontal lesions performing worse on these tests than patients with occipital and temporal lesions. Single-case analyses not only revealed some interesting exceptions to the group-level results (e.g., patients with parietal lesions performing well in the numerosity test), but also indicated that performance in the two tests was independent of non-verbal reasoning and visuo-spatial working memory. Our results highlight the importance of assessing non-symbolic numerical and geometrical abilities to complement typical neuropsychological batteries. However, they also suggest an avoidance of reliance on an excessively rigid localizationist approach when evaluating the neuropsychological profile of oncological patients. Castaldi, E., Bonaudo, C., Maduli, G., Anobile, G., Pedone, A., Capelli, F., Arrighi, R., & Della Puppa, A https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/neurocognitive-assessment-of-mathematics-related-capacities-in-neurosurgical-patients/brainsci-14-00069/https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14010069 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/auditory-time-perception-impairment-in-children-with-developmental-dyscalculia/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:20:51 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4941 Research in Developmental Disabilities, 149, 104733 Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated whether difficulties in children with DD spread beyond the numerical domain and impact also their ability to perceive time. A group of 37 children/adolescent with and without DD were tested with an auditory categorization task measuring time perception thresholds in the sub-second (0.25–1 s) and supra-second (0.75–3 s) ranges. Results showed that auditory time perception was strongly impaired in children with DD at both time scales. The impairment remained even when age, non-verbal reasoning, and gender were regressed out. Overall, our results show that the difficulties of DD can affect magnitudes other than numerical and contribute to the increasing evidence that frames dyscalculia as a disorder affecting multiple neurocognitive and perceptual systems. Castaldi, E., Tinelli, F., Filippo, G., Bartoli, M., & Anobile, G. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/auditory-time-perception-impairment-in-children-with-developmental-dyscalculia/1-s2-0-s0891422224000659-main/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104733 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/serial-dependence-in-perception/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:24:51 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4944 Annual Review of Psychology Much evidence has shown that perception is biased towards previously presented similar stimuli, an effect recently termed serial dependence. Serial dependence affects nearly every aspect of perception, often causing gross perceptual distortions, especially for weak and ambiguous stimuli. Despite unwanted side-effects, empirical evidence and Bayesian modeling show that serial dependence acts to improve efficiency and is generally beneficial to the system. Consistent with models of predictive coding, the Bayesian priors of serial dependence are generated at high levels of cortical analysis, incorporating much perceptual experience, but feed back to lower sensory areas. These feedback loops may drive oscillations in the alpha range, linked strongly with serial dependence. The discovery of top-down predictive perceptual processes is not new, but the new, more quantitative approach characterizing serial dependence promises to lead to a deeper understanding of predictive perceptual processes and their underlying neural mechanisms. Cicchini, G. M., Mikellidou, K., & Burr, D. C. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/serial-dependence-in-perception/annurev-psych-021523-104939/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-021523-104939 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/electrophysiological-correlates-of-temporal-numerosity-adaptation/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:29:47 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4948 Front. Neurosci. Introduction: Much research has revealed the human visual system is capable to estimate numerical quantities, rapidly and reliably, in both the spatial and the temporal domain. This ability is highly susceptible to short-term plastic phenomena related to previous exposure to visual numerical information (i.e., adaptation). However, while determinants of spatial numerosity adaptation have been widely investigated, little is known about the neural underpinnings of short-term plastic phenomena related to the encoding of temporal numerical information. In the present study we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of temporal numerosity adaptation. Methods: Participants were asked to estimate the numerosity of a test sequence of flashes after being exposed to either a high or low numerous adapting sequence. Behavioral results confirmed the expected underestimation of test stimulus when this was preceded by a high numerous sequence as compared to when preceded by a low numerous sequence. Results: Electrophysiological data revealed that this behavior was tightly linked to the amplitude of the steady-state visual evoked (ssVEP) response elicited by the test stimulus. When preceded by a high numerous sequence, the test stimulus elicited larger ssVEP responses as compared to when preceded by a low numerous sequence with this pattern being robustly correlated with behavior. Finally, topographical maps showed that this difference was mostly evident across two antero-posterior distributed clusters of electrodes and correlated with changes in functional connectivity. Discussion: Taken together, our results suggest that visual plastic phenomena related to the encoding of temporal numerosity information reflect changes in rhythmic evoked activity that are likely related to long range communications between distinct brain regions. Grasso, P. A., Petrizzo, I., Coniglio, F., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/electrophysiological-correlates-of-temporal-numerosity-adaptation/fnins-18-1349540/https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1349540 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/reshaping-the-peripersonal-space-in-virtual-reality-2/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:32:25 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4951 Scientific reports Peripersonal space (PPS) is defined as the space that lies within reach. Previous research revealed that PPS can be dynamically reshaped with the use of tools extending the arm’s reach. Here we investigated whether PPS reshaping depends on the kind of selected tool and/or the motor routine associated with its use. Participants carried out a visuo-tactile detection task in an immersive VR environment that allowed to measure the PPS size before and after a short period of tools use. In Experiment 1, participants had to pull or push objects towards or away from themselves using a shovel. In Experiment 2, they were required to either hammer or shoot an avatar placed in the Extrapersonal space. We found, for the first time in a VR environment, that a period of pull training was effective in enlarging the PPS, a result that replicates and expands previous findings carried out in real life conditions. However, no significant change in PPS size was achieved for training with other tools and motor routines. Our results suggest that the reshaping of PPS is a complex phenomenon in which the kind of interaction between the agent, the targets and the exploited motor routines all play a critical role. Petrizzo, I., Mikellidou, K., Avraam, S., Avraamides, M., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/reshaping-the-peripersonal-space-in-virtual-reality-2/s41598-024-52383-y/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52383-y https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/what-pupil-size-can-and-cannot-tell-about-math-anxiety/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:35:14 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4954 Psychological Research Math Anxiety (MA) consists of excessive fear and worry about math-related situations. It represents a major barrier to numerical competence and the pursuit of STEM careers. Yet, we currently do not dispose of many tools that can capture its multifaceted nature, e.g. moving beyond the exclusive reliance on self-reports and meta-cognition. Here we sought to probe Pupil Size (PS) as a viable tool in the study of MA by administering arithmetic problems to university students in the humanities (N = 70) with various levels of MA. We found that arithmetic competence and performance are indeed negatively associated with MA, and this is accurately tracked by PS. When performance is accounted for, MA does not further modulate PS (before, during, or after calculation). However, the latency of PS peak dilation can add a significant contribution to predicting MA scores, indicating that high MA may be accompanied by more prolonged cognitive effort. Results show that MA and mathematical competence may be too crystalized in young university students to be discernible. We therefore call for early educational interventions to tackle and mitigate this dysfunctional association early on. Blini, E., Anobile, G., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/what-pupil-size-can-and-cannot-tell-about-math-anxiety/s00426-024-02020-0/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-024-02020-0 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/number-adaptation-reply/ Sat, 07 Sep 2024 13:39:52 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4957 SSRN Scholarly Paper 4839798 Adaptation is a ubiquitous property of perceptual systems, allowing them to operate over a large dynamic range, and increasing sensitivity to change. The number sense, like most other perceptual systems, shows strong adaptation. In this issue, Yousef et al challenge the existence of number adaptation, offering an alternate explanation that they term the “old news hypothesis”. Here we consider the major evidence advanced for their theory and show that, while their predicted effects may reach statistical significance, they are far too small to begin to explain the robust phenomenon of adaptation. We also highlight a series of studies using fMRI, EEG, pupillometry and psycho­physical techniques that support the existence of adaption, and are inconsistent with “old news”. We conclude that number adaptation, while not entirely understood, remains an invaluable concept for understanding the number sense. Burr, D. C., Anobile, G., & Arrighi, R. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/07/number-adaptation-reply/ssrn-4839798-2/https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4839798 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/correlated-p300b-and-phasic-pupil-dilation-responses-to-motivationally-significant-stimuli/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:19:22 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4961 Psychophysiology, 61, e14550 Motivationally significant events like oddball stimuli elicit both a characteristic event-related potential (ERPs) known as P300 and a set of autonomic responses including a phasic pupil dilation. Although co-occurring, P300 and pupil-dilation responses to oddball events have been repeatedly found to be uncorrelated, suggesting separate origins. We re-examined their relationship in the context of a three-stimulus version of the auditory oddball task, independently manipulating the frequency (rare vs. repeated) and motivational significance (relevance for the participant's task) of the stimuli. We used independent component analysis to derive a P300b component from EEG traces and linear modeling to separate a stimulus-related pupil-dilation response from a potentially confounding action-related response. These steps revealed that, once the complexity of ERP and pupil-dilation responses to oddball targets is accounted for, the amplitude of phasic pupil dilations and P300b are tightly and positively correlated (across participants: r = .69 p = .002), supporting their coordinated generation. D. Menicucci, S. Animali, E. Malloggi,A. Gemignani, E. Bonanni, F. Fornai, F. Sean Giorgi, P. Binda https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/correlated-p300b-and-phasic-pupil-dilation-responses-to-motivationally-significant-stimuli/psychophysiology-2024-menicucci-correlated-p300b-and-phasic-pupil%e2%80%90dilation-responses-to-motivationally-significant/ https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14550 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/treating-adult-amblyopia-through-combined-physical-exercise-and-inverse-occlusion-evidence-from-7t-bold-responses/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:28:18 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4964 ["live talk"] European Conference on Visual Perception While amblyopia can be ameliorated in children, treating it in adults is challenging. Among the new therapeutic approaches, combining physical exercise with short-term occlusion of the weaker eye has shown promise in improving visual acuity. Here, we tested the effects of such combined treatment on visual evoked responses in the primary visual cortex (V1) measured with ultra-high field fMRI. We studied eight amblyopic adults (aged between 16 and 44 years old), with amblyopia caused by anisometropia or infant strabismus. After a detailed ophthalmic examination, they underwent fMRI scanning at 7T. BOLD responses to five band-pass-noise monocular visual stimuli (peak spatial frequency ranging from 0.1 to 2.7 cpd), were measured before and after 2 hours of covering the amblyopic eye with a translucent patch. We repeated this protocol after a 4 week training performed at home, in telemedicine. The training was composed of six sessions (three in the first week and one in each of the following weeks) where the 2 hour patching was combined with cycling on a stationary bike. In line with our previous findings, the training improved amblyopic eye acuity by 0.10 ± 0.05 logMAR (as measured with an automated Tumbling E test). 7T BOLD responses in V1 to higher spatial frequencies were reduced for the amblyopic eye compared to the fellow eye. This dominance of the fellow eye responses decreased after the 2 hour patching and after the 4 week training. Using binocular rivalry we indexed ocular dominance and observed a reduction of the fellow eye dominance after patching and further after the 4 week training. In conclusion, treating amblyopic adults with a combination of physical exercise and short-term inverse occlusion produced a shift of ocular dominance, measured behaviorally and with 7TfMRI, and revealed a reorganization of V1-evoked responses favoring the amblyopic eye. 24/08/2024 29/08/2024 Miriam Acquafredda, Irene Di Marco , Guido Marco Cicchini, Laura Biagi, Michela Tosetti, Alessandro Sale, Paola Binda, Maria Concetta Morrone https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/ocular-dominance-plasticity-in-the-adult-brain-beyond-short-term-changes-insights-from-7t-bold-responses-in-amblyopic-patients/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:38:02 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4967 ["poster"] 74th SIF National Congress of The Italian Society of Physiology 11/09/2024 13/09/2024 Miriam Acquafredda, Irene Di Marco, Guido Marco Cicchini, Laura Biagi, Michela Tosetti, Alessandro Sale, Paola Binda, Maria Concetta Morrone https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/monocular-delay-during-active-vision-shifts-ocular-dominance/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:45:29 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4969 ["poster"] 74th SIF National Congress of The Italian Society of Physiology 11/09/2024 13/09/2024 Giacomo Pennella, Cecilia Steinwurzel, Giulio Sandini, Paola Binda, Maria Concetta Morrone https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/monocular-delay-during-active-vision-shifts-ocular-dominance-2/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:55:16 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4971 ["poster"] European Conference on Visual Perception 24/08/2024 29/08/2024 Giacomo Pennella, Cecilia Steinwurzel, Giulio Sandini, Paola Binda, Maria Concetta Morrone https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/09/active-vision-shapes-ocular-dominance-3/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 10:22:34 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4973 ["poster"] 42° European Workshop on Cognitive Neuropsychology 21/01/2024 26/01/2024 C. Steinwurzel, G. Pennella, G. Sandini, M.C. Morrone, P. Binda, https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/09/10/plasticity-of-the-adult-human-brain-fmri-and-pupillometry/ Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:06:14 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4975 ["invited talk"] SISSA - Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati 20/02/2024 21/02/2024 Paola Binda

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45.6495264 13.7768182 14 ChIJM_Xt5AZre0cRUCvd1IQkamY Trieste Friuli-Venezia Giulia TS Italy IT https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/10/23/positive-serial-dependence-in-ratings-of-food-images-for-appeal-and-calories/ Wed, 23 Oct 2024 18:58:25 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=4994 Current Biology Food is fundamental to survival, and our brains are highly attuned to rapidly process food stimuli. Neural signals show that foods can be discriminated as edible or inedible as early as 85 ms after stimulus onset,1 distinguished as processed or unprocessed beginning at 130 ms,2 and as high or low density from 165 ms.3 Recent evidence revealed specialized processing of food stimuli in the ventral visual pathway,4,5,6 an area that underlies perception of faces and other important objects. For many visual objects, perception can be biased toward recent perceptual history (known as serial dependence7,8). We examined serial dependence for food in two large samples (n > 300) who rated sequences of food images for either “appeal” or “calories.” Ratings for calories were highly correlated between participants and were similar for males and females. Appeal ratings varied considerably between participants, consistent with the idiosyncratic nature of food preferences, and tended to be higher for males than females. High-calorie ratings were associated with high appeal, especially in males. Importantly, response biases showed clear positive serial dependences: higher stimulus values in the previous trials led to positive biases, and vice versa. The effects were similar for males and females and for calories and appeal ratings and were remarkably consistent across participants. These findings square with recently found food selectively in the visual temporal cortex, reveal a new mechanism influencing food decision-making, and suggest a new sensory-level component that could complement cognitive strategies in diet intervention. Alais, D., Burr, D., & Carlson, T. A. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2024/10/23/positive-serial-dependence-in-ratings-of-food-images-for-appeal-and-calories/piis0960982224012235/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.012 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2025/08/01/pupillometric-signature-of-implicit-learning-of-statistical-regularities/ Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:19:39 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=5094

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Current Biology Animals learn about the statistical regularities of their environment by a process of implicit learning, a power- ful mechanism that may operate by mere exposure.1 Implicit learning supports processes such as speech acquisition but also learning about the spatial and temporal structure of the world more generally, which is essential for effective interaction.2 Here, we used a frequency-tagging technique to demonstrate a pupillo- metric signature of the learning of the temporal structure (pairing of numerosities) of sequential arrays. Although the numerosity pairings were unnoticed by all participants, the pupil responded clearly to their repe- tition frequency (1 Hz). Pupillometry allowed us to track the learning as it unfolded (the response became sig- nificant after less than 3 min of passive viewing), without ever directing attention to the temporal structure of the stimuli. Diverting attention away from the numerosity feature did not prevent learning, but it did affect the dynamics of the response acquisition. A clear pupillometric response was also elicited by pairing dyads of digits. In all our stimuli, the local features were randomized, implying that learning successfully generalized across stimuli that were locally different and only acquired a temporal structure once their global statistics (overall shape or numerosity) were extracted. Binda P., Terzo C., Turi M., & Burr D.C. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2025/08/01/pupillometric-signature-of-implicit-learning-of-statistical-regularities/1-s2-0-s0960982225001459-main/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.011 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2025/09/01/color-crowding-considered-as-adaptive-spatial-integration/ Mon, 01 Sep 2025 10:14:18 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=5187 Journal of Vision, 24(13), 9 Crowding is the inability to recognize an object in clutter, classically considered a fundamental low-level bottleneck to object recognition. Recently, however, it has been suggested that crowding, like predictive phenomena such as serial dependence, may result from optimizing strategies that exploit redundancies in natural scenes. This notion leads to several testable predictions, such as crowding being greater for nonsalient targets and, counterintuitively, that flanker interference should be associated with higher precision in judgements, leading to a lower overall error rate. Here we measured color discrimination for targets flanked by stimuli of variable color. The results verified both predictions, showing that although crowding can affect object recognition, it may be better understood not as a processing bottleneck, but rather as a consequence of mechanisms evolved to efficiently exploit the spatial redundancies of the natural world. Analyses of reaction times of judgments shows that the integration occurs at sensory rather than decisional levels. Cicchini, G. M., D’Errico, G., & Burr, D. C. https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2025/09/01/color-crowding-considered-as-adaptive-spatial-integration/i1534-7362-24-13-9_1733745989-28729/https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.24.13.9 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/development-of-higher-level-vision-a-network-perspective/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:48:12 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=5434 The Journal of Neuroscience Most studies on the development of the visual system have focused on the mechanisms shaping early visual stages up to the level of primary visual cortex (V1). Much less is known about the development of the stages after V1 that handle the higher visual functions fundamental to everyday life. The standard model for the maturation of these areas is that it occurs sequentially, according to the positions of areas in the adult hierarchy. Yet, the existing literature reviewed here paints a different picture, one in which the adult configuration emerges through a sequence of unique network configurations that are not mere partial versions of the adult hierarchy. In addition to studying higher visual development per se to fill major gaps in knowledge, it will be crucial to adopt a network-level perspective in future investigations to unravel normal developmental mechanisms, identify vulnerabilities to developmental disorders, and eventually devise treatments for these disorders. James A. Bourne, Radoslaw M. Cichy, Lynne Kiorpes, Maria Concetta Morrone, Michael J. Arcaro and Kristina J. Nielsen https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/development-of-higher-level-vision-a-network-perspective/e1291242024-full/https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1291-24.2024 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/impairment-in-understanding-grasping-movements-in-egocentric-and-allocentric-perspectives-in-children-with-cerebral-palsy-due-to-periventricular-leukomalacia/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:56:59 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=5437 Human Movement Science Recognizing and understanding the actions of others through motion information are vital functions for social adaptation. Conditions like neurological disorders and motor impairments can impact sensitivity to biological motion, highlighting the intricate relationship between perceiving and executing movements. Our study centred on assessing the ability of children, encompassing both those with typical development and those diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), to discriminate between depicted grasping of a small cylinder and a large cube. This discrimination task involved observing a point-light animation depicting an actor grasping the object, presented from either an allocentric perspective (observing others) or an egocentric viewpoint (observing oneself). Notably, children with PVL exhibited a pronounced and specific impairment in this task, irrespective of the viewpoint, as evidenced by thresholds increasing by nearly a factor of two. When comparing this impairment to difficulties in form or motion perception, we identified a robust correlation between egocentric biological motion and form sensitivity. However, there was no similar correlation between motion and biological motion sensitivity, suggesting a deficit in the visual system rather than the visuo-motor control system. These findings contribute to our understanding of the intricate interplay between motor and visual processing in individuals with congenital brain lesions, shedding light on the significant involvement of the visual system in cases of PVL. Francesca Tinelli, Giulia Purpura, Giovanni Cioni, Maria Concetta Morrone, Marco Turi https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/impairment-in-understanding-grasping-movements-in-egocentric-and-allocentric-perspectives-in-children-with-cerebral-palsy-due-to-periventricular-leukomalacia/1-s2-0-s0167945724001179-main/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2024.103292 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/harnessing-brain-plasticity-to-improve-binocular-vision-in-amblyopia-an-evidence-based-update/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:04:46 +0000 https://www.pisavisionlab.org/?p=5440 European Journal of Ophthalmology Amblyopia is a developmental visual disorder resulting from atypical binocular experience in early childhood that leads to abnormal visual cortex development and vision impairment. Recovery from amblyopia requires significant visual cortex neuroplasticity, i.e. the ability of the central nervous system and its synaptic connections to adapt their structure and function. There is a high level of neuroplasticity in early development and, historically, neuroplastic responses to changes in visual experience were thought to be restricted to a “critical period” in early life. However, as our review now shows, the evidence is growing that plasticity of the adult visual system can also be harnessed to improve vision in amblyopia. Amblyopia treatment involves correcting refractive error to ensure clear and equal retinal image formation in both eyes, then, if necessary, promoting the use of the amblyopic eye by hindering or reducing visual input from the better eye through patching or pharmacologic therapy. Early treatment in children can lead to visual acuity gains and the development of binocular vision in some cases; however, many children do not respond to treatment, and many adults with amblyopia have historically been untreated or undertreated. Here we review the current evidence on how dichoptic training can be used as a novel binocular therapeutic approach to facilitate visual processing of input from the amblyopic eye and can simultaneously engage both eyes in a training task that requires binocular integration. It is a novel and promising treatment for amblyopia in both children and adults. Benjamin Thompson, Maria Concetta Morrone, Peter Bex, Anthony Lozama and Bernhard A. Sabel https://www.pisavisionlab.org/2026/09/10/harnessing-brain-plasticity-to-improve-binocular-vision-in-amblyopia-an-evidence-based-update/thompson-et-al-2023-harnessing-brain-plasticity-to-improve-binocular-vision-in-amblyopia-an-evidence-based-update/https://doi.org/10.1177/11206721231187426