The surface area of human V1 predicts the subjective experience of object size

Abstract

This study reports that the size of the primary visual cortex correlates negatively with the magnitude of two common visual illusions. The size of primary visual cortex may therefore modulate conscious visual experience. The surface area of human primary visual cortex (V1) varies substantially between individuals for unknown reasons. We found that this variability was strongly and negatively correlated with the magnitude of two common visual illusions, where two physically identical objects appear different in size as a result of their context. Because such illusions dissociate conscious perception from physical stimulation, our findings indicate that the surface area of V1 predicts variability in conscious experience.