A representation of a form constant.

A form constant is one of several geometric patterns which are recurringly observed by different people during hallucinatory states. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x710, 162 KB) Original Drawing by Susan Murray File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x710, 162 KB) Original Drawing by Susan Murray File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A pattern is a form, template, or model (or, more abstractly, a set of rules) which can be used to make or to generate things or parts of a thing, especially if the things that are generated have enough in common for the underlying pattern to be inferred or discerned...

History

In 1926, Heinrich Klüver systematically studied the effects of mescaline (peyote) on the subjective experiences of its users. In addition to producing potent hallucinations characterized by bright, "highly saturated" colors and vivid imagery, Klüver noticed that mescaline produced recurring geometric patterns in different users. He called these patterns 'form constants' and categorized four types: lattices (including honeycombs, checkerboards, and triangles), cobwebs, tunnels, and spirals. Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Heinrich Kluver (May 25, 1897 - February 8, 1979) was a notable figure in the fields of animal behavior and Gestalt psychology, largely credited with introducing the latter to the United States in the early twentieth century. ... Mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is a hallucinogenic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The sensory buzz and awareness associated with a conscious mind is often called subjective experience. ... A hallucination is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ... The ordinary meaning of lattice is the basis for several technical usages A cherry lattice pastry A mathematical lattice that is a type of partially ordered set. ... Triangular tiling. ... 5 by 5 checkerboard pattern A checkerboard (or chequerboard) is a board on which American checkers is played. ... Spider web with morning dew enhancing its visibility. ... In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which turns around some central point or axis, getting progressively closer to or farther from it, depending on which way you follow the curve. ...

Many of these shapes have an intriguing similarity to much of the imagery in Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur. Ernst Haeckel. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kunstformen der Natur Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms of Nature) is a book of lithographic prints by German biologist Ernst Haeckel. ...

Precipitants

Klüver's form constants have appeared in other drug-induced and naturally-occurring hallucinations, suggesting a similar physiological process underlying hallucinations with different triggers. Klüver's form constants also appear in near-death experiences and hallucinations of those with synesthesia. Other triggers include psychological stress, or threshold consciousness, hypnagogia, insulin hypoglycemia, the delirium of fever, epilepsy, psychotic episodes, advanced syphilis, sensory deprivation, photostimulation, electrical stimulation, crystal gazing, migraine headaches, dizziness and a variety of drug-induced intoxications.^{[citation needed]} These shapes may appear on their own or with eyes shut in the form of phosphenes, especially when exerting pressure against the closed eyelid.
In most cases, the images are seen in both eyes and move with them. We interpret this to mean that they are generated in the brain. Here, we summarize a theory of their origin in visual cortex [Area V1], based on the assumption that the form of the retino–cortical map and the architecture of V1 determine their geometry. We model V1 as the continuum limit of a lattice of interconnected hypercolumns, each comprising a number of interconnected iso-orientation columns. Based on anatomical evidence, we assume that the lateral connectivity between hypercolumns exhibits symmetries, rendering it invariant under the action of the Euclidean group E(2), composed of reflections and translations in the plane, and a (novel) shift-twist action. Using this symmetry, we show that the various patterns of activity that spontaneously emerge when V1's spatially uniform resting state becomes unstable correspond to the form constants when transformed to the visual field using the retino-cortical map. The results are sensitive to the detailed specification of the lateral connectivity and suggest that the cortical mechanisms that generate geometric visual hallucinations are closely related to those used to process edges, contours, surfaces, and textures. Ascent in the Empyrean (Hieronymous Bosch) A near-death experience (NDE) is an experience reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead and revived. ... Synesthesia (also spelled synæsthesia or synaesthesia, plural synesthesiae) -- from the Greek syn- meaning union and aesthesis meaning sensation -- is a neurological condition in which two or more bodily senses are coupled. ... Stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by Hans Selye in the journal Nature. ... Threshold consciousness is the state of falling asleep or waking up. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hypoglycemia is a medical term referring to a pathologic state produced by a lower than normal amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. ... An analogue medical thermometer showing the temperature of 38. ... Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state in which thought and perception are severely impaired. ... Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a spirochaete bacterium, Treponema pallidum. ... A prisoner at the United States Camp X-ray facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba being subjected to sensory deprivation, through the use of ear muffs, visor, breathing mask and heavy mittens. ... Photostimulation is the use of light to artificially activate biological compounds, cells, or even whole organisms. ... Functional electrical stimulation (commonly abbreviated as FES) is a technique that uses electrical currents to activate nerves innervating extremities affected by paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury (SCI), head injury, stroke or other neurological disorders, restoring function in people with disabilities. ... Crystallomancy, or crystal gazing, is a method of divination of distant or future events by gazing into a crystal. ... Dizziness (Latin: Vertigo) is the sensation of instability. ... Oral medication Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. ... ... A phosphene is an entoptic phenomenon characterized by the experience of light without light coming into the eye. ...

[1] Figure1.4. Iso–orientation contours in a hypercolumn. There are two ocular dominance columns corresponding to left(L) and right(R)eye preference. Each ocular dominance column contains two orientation singularities or pinwheels.A dashed ring is drawn around one orientation singularity

Explaination of the V1's instablity is summerized in the following quote from the references below

Thus there are two ways to increase the excitability of the network and thus destabilize the fixed point: either by increasing the external input (visual overload) or reducing the threshold. The latter can occur through the action of drugs on certain brain stem nuclei which, as we shall see, provides a mechanism for generating geometric visual hallucinations

Author Michael Moorcock once observed in print that the shapes he had seen during his migraine headaches resembled exactly the form of fractals. The diversity of conditions that provoke such patterns suggests that form constants reflect some fundamental property of visual perception. Michael John Moorcock (born December 18, 1939) is a prolific British writer primarily of science fiction and science fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels. ... Migraine is a form of headache, usually very intense and disabling. ... The boundary of the Mandelbrot set is a famous example of a fractal. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Cultural significance

The practice of the ancient art of divination may suggest a deliberate practice of cultivating form constant imagery and applying the brain's intuitive faculty and/or imagination to derive some meaning from transient visual phenomena. This article is about the religious practice of divination. ... Look up Intuition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Many religions represent geometric and/or repetitive forms as indicative of the divine, particularly in a starburst pattern. Examples include mandalas, yantras (both of these specifically designed to evoke certain mental states), Islamic art and cathedral architecture. Psychedelic art, inspired at least in part by psychedelic substances, frequently includes repetitive abstract forms and patterns such as tessellation, Moiré patterns or patterns similar to those created by paper marbling, and, in later years, fractals. The op art genre of visual art created art using bold imagery very like that of form constants. A starburst is a symbol consisting of a star surrounded by rays emanating from it. ... Buddhist mandala Mandala (Sanskrit circle, completion) is of Hindu origin and is also used in most Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, to refer to various tangible objects. ... Yantras - The Mystic Power: Yantra literally means Loom, Instrument or Machine. It is a Sanskrit word and is related to Hindu culture. ... Islamic art is the art of Islamic people, cultures, and countries. ... Montreal (Canada) cathedral Cathedrals are among the most ambitious buildings ever conceived, far exceeding the size and complexity of most other constructions and often requiring many years to complete. ... Santanas Abraxas (album) cover by Mati Klarwein Psychedelic art refers to art that is inspired by the psychedelic experience induced by drugs such as LSD, Mescaline, and Psilocybin. ... A tessellated plane seen in street pavement. ... A moiré pattern is an interference pattern created, for example, when two grids are overlaid at an angle, or when they have slightly different mesh sizes. ... Paper marbling is a technique for producing colorful patterns on paper (or, rarely, on other surfaces) by swirls of paint, traditionally water-based paint, floating on water. ... The boundary of the Mandelbrot set is a famous example of a fractal. ... Op art is a term used to described certain paintings made primarily in the 1960s which exploit the fallibilty of the eye through the use of optical illusions. ...

Conversely, the visual art of Louis Wain, who died insane, shows a progression from naturalistic forms to angular, stylized and garish imagery as schizophrenia overtook him. What had started off as conventional drawings of cats (his favorite subject of portraiture) evolved into an almost unrecognizable abstraction. Louis Wain (1860-1939) was an English artist best known for his drawings, which consistently featured anthropomorphised large-eyed cats and kittens, and who suffered in later years from schizophrenia. ... Look up CAT, cat, Cat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

See also

• Hypnagogia
• Pattern recognition
• Psychophysics
• Visual system
• Visual cortex
• Kaleidoscope
• Visual Snow

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pattern recognition is a field within the area of machine learning. ... Psychophysics is the branch of cognitive psychology dealing with the relationship between physical stimuli and their perception. ... The visual system is the part of the nervous system which allows organisms to see. ... Brodmann area 17 (primary visual cortex) is shown in red in this image which also shows area 18 (orange) and 19 (yellow) The visual cortex refers to the primary visual cortex (also known as striate cortex or V1) and extrastriate visual cortical areas such as V2, V3, V4, and V5. ... A toy kaleidoscope tube Pattern as seen through a kaleidoscope tube Pattern as seen through a kaleidoscope tube Pattern as seen through a kaleidoscope tube Pattern as seen through a kaleidoscope tube The kaleidoscope is a toy containing small, brightly-colored tumbling objects, and a set of mirrors which reflect... Visual snow is a transitory or persisting visual symptom where people see snow or television-like static in parts or the whole of their visual fields. ...

References

1. Blackmore, Susan. Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1993.
2. Bressloff, Paul C., Jack D. Cowan, Martin Golubitsky, Peter J. Thomas, and Matthew C. Wiener. "What Geometric Visual Hallucinations Tell Us About the Visual Cortex." Neural Computation. Vol. 14, No. 3 (March 2002): 473-491.
3. Cytowic, Richard E., The Man Who Tasted Shapes.
4. Ermentrout,G.B. and Cowan, J.D., "A mathematical theory of visual hallucination patterns." Biol. Cybernet. 34 (1979), no. 3, 137-150.

Susan Jane Blackmore (born July 29, 1951) is a British freelance writer, lecturer, and broadcaster, perhaps best known for her book The Meme Machine. ... The Man Who Tasted Shapes (1993) ISBN 0874777380 is a book by neurologist Richard Cytowic about synesthesia. ...

External links

• Examples of art which features form constants from "Hallucinogens and Creativity" page by Susan Opar
• "Spontaneous pattern formation in large scale brain activity: what visual migraines and hallucinations tell us about the brain"; online video of lecture by Jack Cowan
• A page set up to show how Wain's art style changed as he went mad
• "What Geometric Visual Hallucinations Tell Us about the Visual Cortex "
• http://www.math.utah.edu/~bresslof/publications/Colston.pdf "Spontaneous pattern formation in

primary visual cortex"