Spatial localization

Ghost in the Machine: Brain Predicts Images Before We See Them

Our eyes are constantly “jumping” (saccades) several times a second, which should make the world look like a shaky, handheld camera video. Yet, the world remains perfectly still. A new study used afterimages—the ghostly shapes left behind after looking at a bright light—to decode how the brain achieves this stability. By tracking afterimages in total darkness, researchers discovered that the brain uses an internal “efference copy” of its own movement commands to predict where things should be. While this prediction is incredibly accurate, it has a consistent, 6% “undershoot” that reveals the inner workings of our visual hardware. ….[READ]