An observer locomoting along a straight path sees a pattern
of optic flow in which images move approximately radially outward
from his heading point. If the observer turns, the optic flow
field changes markedly because each object's image now
has a component of horizontal motion added to its “optic
flow” motion. We tested the responses of 326 cells in
the cat's extrastriate area LS (lateral suprasylvian visual
area) to movies simulating the optic flow seen during locomotion
in a straight line, and during various simulated turns to the
left and right. About 60% of 326 cells tested responded to optic
flow simulating turns. Of most interest was a subset of cells,
15% of the total, that had “turn-selective” responses.
They responded significantly better to turns in a particular
direction (usually to the contralateral side) than to turns
in the opposite direction or to optic flow simulating
straight-ahead locomotion. For each cell, we generated a display
of fronto-parallel motion with a direction and speed that matched
the image motion in the preferred turn movie, as seen at the
receptive-field center. Most turn-selective cells responded
significantly better to their preferred turn movie than to this
fronto-parallel stimulus. We examined the role of cells'
selectivity for stimulus direction, speed, and acceleration
in determining cell preference for particular turns. Direction
preference played some role for most cells, but about a third
of the cells preferred turn movies that did not reflect their
direction selectivity. Other factors, including the presence
of opposing motion, only rarely appeared to determine cell
preferences for particular turn movies.