Von Békésy G
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Apr;69(4):885-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.4.885.
A light beam hitting the retina produces an excitatory process; however, around the edge of the light beam, sensory cells are inhibited and lose their sensitivity. This combination of stimulation and inhibition produces a discrepancy between the luminance pattern presented to the eye and the brightness pattern that is observed. The black and white Mach bands are the best known distortions of this type. It is this interaction that can produce a line that is physically not present in the stimulus, and is different from the usual lines we see.
照射到视网膜上的光束会产生兴奋过程；然而，在光束边缘周围，感觉细胞受到抑制并失去其敏感性。这种刺激与抑制的结合导致呈现给眼睛的亮度模式与所观察到的明度模式之间出现差异。黑白马赫带是这类最著名的失真现象。正是这种相互作用能够产生一条在刺激中实际不存在的线，并且与我们通常看到的线不同。
