ACTIVATION OF HUMAN V5 COMPLEX AND ROLANDIC REGIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH MOVING VISUAL-STIMULI

We recorded magnetoencephalographic responses from seven healthy human s during the presentation of stationary and rotating radial gratings. Rotations lasting 1 s evoked movement-specific sustained activity in t he parieto-occipitotemporal border area, in agreement with the activat ion of the V5 complex specialized for the analysis of movement. The so urce areas of the movement-specific sustained fields mere transiently active 100-130 ms after the onsets of both rotating and stationary sti muli, suggesting that movement-related cortical areas respond to any t ransient changes in the visual environment. Transients were evoked als o in other brain areas 60-200 ms after onsets of both stimuli. Four su bjects displayed additional motion-related sustained activity in the r olandic region. Sustained activity continued after the stimulus moveme nt in several subjects during perception of the movement aftereffect. The transient activity may evoke visual attention while sustained acti vity of the V5 complex may be related to the conscious perception of m ovement. (C) 1997 Academic Press.