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Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
Published on: January 22, 2018
Topographic representation of numerosity in the human parietal cortex
B M Harvey1, B P Klein, N Petridou
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands. b.m.harvey@uu.nl
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 7, 2013
Summary
Researchers discovered a topographic numerosity map in the human parietal cortex. This map represents the quantity of items, demonstrating that abstract numerical information is organized similarly to sensory data.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Numerosity processing occurs in the association cortex, exhibiting properties similar to primary senses.
- Primary sensory cortices feature topographic maps reflecting sensory organ structures.
- The organization of numerical representation in the brain remains an open question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the cortical representation and processing of numerosity are topographically organized.
- To determine if abstract numerical features are mapped topographically in the association cortex.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging (7 Tesla) to study neural populations in the human parietal cortex.
- Examined neural tuning to small numerosities and their spatial organization.
Main Results:
- Identified topographically organized neural populations tuned to small numerosities in the parietal cortex, forming a 'numerosity map'.
- This map demonstrated robustness against changes in low-level stimulus features.
- Observed that cortical surface area decreased with increasing numerosity, while tuning width increased with preferred numerosity.
Conclusions:
- The human parietal cortex exhibits a topographic map for numerosity representation.
- These findings extend topographic principles to the organization of higher-order abstract features within the association cortex.
- Suggests a fundamental organizational principle for representing both sensory and abstract information in the brain.
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