Organization of texture segregation processing in primate visual cortex.

We investigated the intracortical organization of neuronal mass activity that is related to texture segregation on the basis of orientation contrast. Evoked potentials were recorded to a stimulus, signalling a contribution from texture segregation-sensitive mechanisms by means of specific response components. The specific components could only be recorded when textons had a spatial organization that leads to the percept of image segmentation. Equivalent dipole estimations of the specific response components suggested the presence of texture segregation-related activity in the primary visual cortex. These results were corroborated by current-source-density analysis of intracortical recordings in the awake monkey. A specific involvement of layers 2/3 and 5 of area 17 in the global process of image segmentation could be demonstrated.