Interference with line-orientation sensitivity.

Sensitivity for inclination detection of a foveally seen line is exceedingly high. It is shown that appropriately structured visual stimuli can interfere with the inclination detection threshold, presumably by inhibiting some neural signals before they are channeled to interact with others of their ensemble. The parameters of this inhibition, and by implication those of the sensitivity of the involved neural elements, are outlined: spatial location, time course, movement sensitivity, dichoptic nature, nonrecurrent characteristics, and position rather than orientation dependency.