# A cortical-inspired model for orientation-dependent contrast perception: a link with Wilson-Cowan equations

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a cortical-inspired differential model for orientation-dependent contrast perception that links to Wilson-Cowan equations, effectively explaining visual phenomena like illusions and grating induction through numerical tests.

## Contribution

The novel aspect is the explicit incorporation of local image orientation into a cortical-inspired model connected to Wilson-Cowan equations for contrast perception.

## Key findings

- Successfully explains orientation-dependent visual phenomena
- Demonstrates ability to model illusions traditionally explained by filtering techniques
- Provides a new mathematical framework linking neural interactions to perception

## Abstract

We consider a differential model describing neuro-physiological contrast perception phenomena induced by surrounding orientations. The mathematical formulation relies on a cortical-inspired modelling [10] largely used over the last years to describe neuron interactions in the primary visual cortex (V1) and applied to several image processing problems [12,19,13]. Our model connects to Wilson-Cowan-type equations [23] and it is analogous to the one used in [3,2,14] to describe assimilation and contrast phenomena, the main novelty being its explicit dependence on local image orientation. To confirm the validity of the model, we report some numerical tests showing its ability to explain orientation-dependent phenomena (such as grating induction) and geometric-optical illusions [21,16] classically explained only by filtering-based techniques [6,18].