Contextual modulation as de-texturizer

•Contextual modulation acts to de-texturize the image.•De-texturization is achieved by iso-orientation surround suppression mechanisms.•The suppression is likely mediated by ERF neurons in early visual areas.•ERF neurons feed-forward their responses into shape-selective neurons.•Responses of ERF model neurons to images reveal their role as de-texturizers.

Contextual modulation refers to the effect of texture placed outside of a neuron’s classical receptive field as well as the effect of surround texture on the perceptual properties of variegated regions within. In this minireview, we argue that one role of contextual modulation is to enhance the perception of contours at the expense of textures, in short to de-texturize the image. The evidence for this role comes mainly from three sources: psychophysical studies of shape after-effects, computational models of neurons that exhibit iso-orientation surround inhibition, and fMRI studies revealing specialized areas for contour as opposed to texture processing. The relationship between psychophysical studies that support the notion of contextual modulation as de-texturizer and those that investigate contour integration and crowding is discussed.