McCollough effect: A theory based on the anatomy of the lateral geniculate body

A model network derived from anatomy and physiology of the monkey retina and lateral geniculate body (LGN) is presented. Control of the strength of concentric surrounds by receptive field center illumination leads to inhomogeneous use of different surround parts, and this occurs even in the presence of irregular eye movements (“autostroboscopic impression”). Various pattern- and movement-contingent color aftereffects, as well as threshold findings, can be explained. Anatomical studies have revealed that the output signals of LGN interneurons are presynaptically controlled at each ending by retinal afferents. This is assumed to result in the above center-surround interaction, and it implies that an interneuron producesdifferent output signals at each of its numerous output endings. The inability of the somatic metabolic machinery to cope with a multitude of different time-varying demands is proposed to be the origin of the remarkably long persistence of the McCollough effect