{
  "id": 12442025,
  "title": "On-demand surround suppression explains the spatiotemporal window of the tilt illusion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/on-demand-surround-suppression-explains-the-spatiotemporal-window-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.755975v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The tilt illusion occurs when a central target appears tilted away from its surround's orientation. Researchers investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics behind this phenomenon. They proposed that contextual effects arise from neural signals traveling across retinotopic representations. Longer distances would naturally lead to more significant delays, implying distant surrounds should influence perception strongest when presented earlier.\n\nTo test this prediction, they conducted psychophysical reverse correlation measurements with human observers. The results were counterintuitive, showing the most effective surround occurred progressively later as distance increased from the central target. Computational modeling suggested this reversal could be explained by the visual system's on-demand recruitment of contextual information through a query mechanism.\n\nThus, rather than passively receiving context, perceptual appearance may be constructed through temporally unfolding interactions where the visual system actively gathers information as needed. This on-demand surround suppression explains the unexpected spatiotemporal window observed in the tilt illusion.",
  "summary": "What we see at one location depends on what surrounds it. Such contextual e[ff]ects are thought to arise from neural signals that travel across the retinotopic representations.Because these signals need more time to travel longer distances, a more distant surround should influence perception most strongly when presented earlier, compensating for its delay. We tested this prediction in human…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}