Dr Michael R Ibbotson

Head of Group

Visual Sciences Group
Research School of Biological Sciences
GPO Box 475
Canberra ACT 2601
ph: +61 (02) 6125 4118
fax: +61 (02) 6125 3808

email: michael.ibbotson@anu.edu.au

Laboratory Webpage

Information for prospective students

Current position

Senior Fellow , Visual Sciences, RSBS

Research interests

My research interests are focussed on how natural visual systems see form and movement. This interest has led to a range of experimental approaches that include electro-physiological recording from visual interneurons in mammals (cats and monkeys) and insects, eye movement recording and psychophysical analysis of movement perception in humans and computer modelling. Two major themes have formed the basis of these studies. Firstly, discovering the physiological and anatomical structures that process visual information and, secondly, studying why and how these systems adapt during normal visual behaviour.

Recent Publications

• Ibbotson MR, Price NSC, Crowder NA (2005) On the division of cortical cells into simple and complex types: a comparative viewpoint. J Neurophysiol. 93: 3699-3702.
• Ibbotson MR (2005) Contrast and speed related gain control in the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract. J Neurophysiol. 94: 136-146.
• Price NSC, Ibbotson MR, Ono S, Mustari MJ (2005) Rapid processing of retinal slip during saccades in macaque area MT.  J Neurophysiol. 94: 235-246.
• Price NSC, Ono S, Mustari MJ, Ibbotson MR (2005) Comparing acceleration and speed tuning in macaque MT: physiology and modeling. J. Neurophysiol. 94: 3451 – 3464.
• Ibbotson MR, Dreher B (2005) Visual functions of the retinorecipient nuclei in the midbrain, pretectum and ventral thalamus of primates. In: J Kremmer (ed). The Primate Visual System:  a comparative approach. pp. 213-266, Wiley, Chichester.
• Ibbotson MR (2005) Physiological mechanisms of adaptation in the visual system. In: CWG Clifford, G Rhodes (eds). Fitting the mind to the world: Adaptation and aftereffects in high-level vision, Vol 2, Advances in Visual Cognition Series. pp. 17-45, Oxford Univ Press, Oxford.
• Crowder NA, Price NSC, Hietanen MA, Dreher B, Clifford CWG, Ibbotson MR (2006) Relationship between contrast adaptation and orientation tuning in areas V1 and V2 of cat visual cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 95: 271 – 283. This paper forms the basis of the cover art on the December issue of the journal.  
• Price NSC, Crowder NA, Hietanen MA, Ibbotson MR (2006) Neurons in V1, V2 and PMLS of cat cortex are speed tuned but not acceleration tuned: the influence of motion adaptation. J. Neurophysiol. 95: 660-673.
• Ibbotson MR, Crowder NA, Price NSC (2006) Neural basis of time changes around the time of saccades. Current Biology 16: R834-R836. This article is accompanied by an editorial article by Burr and Morrone in Current Biology.  
• Edwards M, Ibbotson MR (2007) Relative sensitivities to large-field optic-flow patterns varying in direction and speed. Perception 36: 113-124.
• Hietanen MA, Crowder NA, Ibbotson MR (2007) Contrast gain control is drift-rate dependent: an informational analysis. J. Neurophysiol. 97: 1078-1087.
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• Schröter U, Wilson S, Srinivasan MV, Ibbotson MR (2007) The morphology and physiology of suboesophageal neck motoneurons in the honeybee. J. Comp Physiol. A. 193: 289-304.
• Ibbotson MR, Price NSC, Crowder NA, Ono S, Mustari MJ (2007) Enhanced motion sensitivity follows saccadic suppression in the superior temporal sulcus of the macaque cortex. Cerebral Cortex. 17: 1129-1138. Advance Access published on June 19, 2006.
• Durant S, Clifford CWG, Crowder NA, Price NSC, Ibbotson MR (2007) Informational basis of cortical contrast adaptation. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A. 24: 1529-1537.

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