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An evolving view of duplex vision: separate but interacting cortical pathways for perception and action
Melvyn A Goodale1, David A Westwood
1Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada. mgoodale@uwo.ca
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|April 15, 2004
Summary
The dorsal and ventral visual streams in primates control action and perception, respectively. Evidence from various studies supports this perception-action hypothesis, even when actions resist visual illusions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Primate Visual System
Background:
- The 1992 Goodale and Milner model proposed distinct dorsal (action) and ventral (perception) visual streams in the primate cerebral cortex.
- This perception-action hypothesis has been investigated using diverse methodologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence supporting and challenging the dorsal and ventral visual stream model.
- To explore how behavioral findings relate to neural substrates.
Main Methods:
- Neuroimaging studies
- Human neuropsychology
- Monkey neurophysiology
- Human psychophysical experiments
- Behavioral experiments examining responses to perceptual illusions
Main Results:
- Behavioral experiments demonstrate that visually guided actions are often unaffected by perceptual illusions, supporting the dissociation.
- Findings from multiple research areas provide robust support for the perception-action hypothesis.
- Some results suggest necessary modifications to the original model.
Conclusions:
- The perception-action hypothesis, positing separate dorsal and ventral visual streams, is strongly supported by a convergence of evidence.
- Further research is needed to precisely map these functional dissociations onto specific neural circuits.
- Understanding the neural basis of visual control of action and perception remains an active area of neurobiological investigation.