Data: Similar neural and perceptual masking effects of low-power optogenetic stimulation in primate V1

Can direct stimulation of primate V1 substitute for a visual stimulus and
mimic its perceptual effect? To address this question, we developed an
optical-genetic toolkit to “read” neural population responses using
widefield calcium imaging, while simultaneously using optogenetics to
“write” neural responses into V1 of behaving macaques. We focused on the
phenomenon of visual masking, where detection of a dim target is
significantly reduced by a co-localized medium-brightness pedestal. Using
our toolkit, we tested whether V1 optogenetic stimulation can recapitulate
the perceptual masking effect of a visual pedestal. We find that, similar
to a visual pedestal, low-power optostimulation can significantly reduce
visual detection sensitivity, that a sublinear interaction between visual
and optogenetic evoked V1 responses could account for this perceptual
effect, and that these neural and behavioral effects are spatially
selective. Our toolkit and results open the door for further exploration
of perceptual substitutions by direct stimulation of sensory cortex.