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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
07:11
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation
Published on: December 8, 2023
Two retinotopic visual areas in human lateral occipital cortex.
Jonas Larsson1, David J Heeger
1Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA. jonas@cns.nyu.edu
Summary
Researchers identified two new human visual areas, lateral occipital areas 1 (LO1) and 2 (LO2), in the brain's visual cortex. These areas map visual fields and may integrate shape information, lacking direct counterparts in macaque brains.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human visual cortex research
Background:
- The human visual cortex contains numerous specialized areas for processing visual information.
- Understanding the full extent and organization of these areas is crucial for comprehending visual perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize new visual areas in the human lateral occipital cortex.
- To investigate the retinotopic organization and functional properties of these potential new areas.
Main Methods:
- Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to create visual field maps.
- Analyzed retinotopy, stimulus selectivity, and anatomical location of identified areas.
Main Results:
- Described two new visual field maps, lateral occipital areas 1 (LO1) and 2 (LO2).
- LO1 and LO2 exhibit topographic representations of the contralateral visual hemifield.
- These areas overlap with object-selective and kinetic occipital regions.
Conclusions:
- LO1 and LO2 represent distinct human visual areas.
- They possess unique polar angle representations and may not have direct homologues in macaque visual cortex.
- These areas likely integrate multimodal shape information within retinotopic coordinates.
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