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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Development of Tool Representations in the Dorsal and Ventral Visual Object Processing Pathways.

Alyssa J Kersey¹, Tyia S Clark¹, Courtney A Lussier¹

¹Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|June 26, 2015

Summary

Children aged 4-8 years recruit adult-like brain regions for tool processing. The core tool network is established by age 4, with refinement occurring between ages 4 and 8.

Keywords:

category-specificity conceptual processing fMRI parietal cortex tools

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Last Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

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Published on: August 1, 2018

Author Spotlight: Insights into Visual Cortex Research Through Wide-View fMRI Mapping

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Published on: December 8, 2023

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

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Published on: August 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience

Background:

Tools are uniquely processed by both dorsal and ventral visual object pathways.
Key brain regions for tool processing include the left posterior middle temporal gyrus, medial fusiform gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the developmental timeline of the tool-processing network in children.
To determine if tool preferences emerge simultaneously across all regions of this network.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure neural responses in children aged 4-8 years.
Analyzed neural amplitude, peak location, and dispersion of tool-related activation.

Main Results:

Children activate similar brain regions and show comparable co-activation patterns to adults.
The core tool-processing network is functional by age 4.
Neural activation patterns refine between ages 4 and 8.

Conclusions:

The foundational tool-processing network is established early in childhood.
Significant refinement of this network occurs during middle childhood.