Polarization perception in humans: on the origin of and relationship between Maxwell's spot and Haidinger's brushes
Affiliation
Aston University, Birmingham; South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust; University of BristolPublication date
2020-01Subject
Ophthalmology
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Under specific conditions of illumination and polarization, differential absorption of light by macular pigments is perceived as the entoptic phenomena of Maxwell's spot (MS) or Haidinger's brushes (HB). To simulate MS and HB, an existing computational model of polarization-dependent properties of the human macula was extended by incorporating neuronal adaptation to stabilized retinal images. The model predicted that polarized light modifies the appearance of MS leading to the perception of a novel phenomenon. The model also predicted a correlation between the observed diameters of MS and HB. Predictions were tested psychophysically in human observers, whose measured differences in the diameters of each entoptic phenomenon generated with depolarized and linearly polarized light were consistent with the model simulations. These findings support a common origin of each phenomenon, and are relevant to the clinical use of polarization stimuli in detecting and monitoring human eye disorders, including macular degeneration. We conclude: (i) MS and HB both result from differential light absorption through a radial diattenuator, compatible with the arrangement of macular pigments in Henle fibres; (ii) the morphology of MS is dependent on the degree of linear polarization; (iii) perceptual differences between MS and HB result from different states of neural adaptation.Citation
Misson GP, Temple SE, Anderson SJ. Polarization perception in humans: on the origin of and relationship between Maxwell's spot and Haidinger's brushes. Sci Rep. 2020 Jan 10;10(1):108. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56916-8.Type
ArticleAdditional Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6954220/PMID
31924831Journal
Scientific ReportsPublisher
Nature Researchae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/s41598-019-56916-8