[Activation of the mechanism of orientation selectivity of neurons of the visual cortex of the cat by a moving noise field].

Directional tuning of the striate cortex complex cells for motion of slit stimuli and visual noise field was investigated on unanesthetized cats. The investigated cells demonstrated different degree of orientational and directional sensitivity. Shifts of preferred direction for visual noise stimuli with respect to preferred direction for slit were found in orientational selective cells only. It is concluded that in spite of the fact that a visual noise field has no inherent orientation it activates orientational mechanism in the visual cortex.