Cortical simple cells can extract achromatic information from the multiplexed chromatic and achromatic signals in the parvocellular pathway.

P cells, which carry both achromatic and chromatic information, are largely responsible for achromatic acuity and contrast sensitivity. The P cell achromatic information must be separated from the chromatic information to be useful. Cortical simple cells are well suited to the extraction of achromatic information by spatial bandpass filtering. Bandpass filtering of Type I P cells by cortical simple cells yields an achromatic signal with a residual chromatic response. The bandpass model makes predictions in accord with existing physiological data and explains the role of a heretofore puzzling class of cortical cells, which have bandpass tuning for both achromatic and chromatic modulations. The model is shown to be related to a previously postulated class of ideal detectors. Finally, the model is used to make a number of physiological and psychophysical predictions.