Color signals in area MT of the macaque monkey

The relationship between the neural processing of color and motion informat ion has been a contentious issue in visual neuroscience. We examined this r elationship directly by measuring neural responses to isoluminant S cone si gnals in extrastriate area MT of the macaque monkey. S cone stimuli produce d robust, direction-selective responses at most recording sites, indicating that color signals are present in MT. While these responses were unequivoc al, S cone contrast sensitivity was, on average, 1.0-1.3 log units lower th an luminance contrast sensitivity. The presence of S cone responses and the relative sensitivity of MT neurons to S cone and luminance signals agree w ith functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements in human MT+. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that color signals in MT in fluence behavior in speed judgment tasks.