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Repetition suppression for visual actions in the macaque superior temporal sulcus
Pradeep Kuravi1, Vittorio Caggiano2, Martin Giese3
1Laboratorium voor Neuro- en Psychofysiologie, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium;
Journal of Neurophysiology
|January 9, 2016
Summary
Neural adaptation, or repetition suppression, typically weakens brain responses. However, this study found repetition suppression in macaque superior temporal sulcus (STS) neurons using dynamic hand action stimuli, unlike F5 mirror neurons.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Primate Brain Research
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Neural adaptation, or repetition suppression, is a common phenomenon across brain areas, reducing neural responses to repeated stimuli.
- Previous studies reported a lack of repetition suppression in macaque F5 mirror neurons for hand actions, contrasting with human fMRI findings.
- Repetition suppression has been observed in macaque inferior temporal cortex, including the superior temporal sulcus (STS), using static stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether dynamic action stimuli abolish repetition suppression in the awake macaque STS.
- To compare adaptation effects in the STS with those previously observed in F5 mirror neurons.
Main Methods:
- Recorded neural activity (single-unit, multiunit, and local field potentials (LFPs)) in the macaque STS.
- Utilized dynamic hand action movies as stimuli, similar to those used in F5 studies.
- Analyzed LFP power at frequencies > 50 Hz and spiking activity for adaptation effects.
Main Results:
- Upper bank STS neurons exhibited repetition suppression during the approaching phase of hand actions.
- This suppression was evident in both spiking activity and high-frequency LFP power (> 50 Hz).
- The observed suppression occurred during the action phase eliciting the strongest neural response.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic action stimuli do not abolish repetition suppression in the macaque STS.
- Adaptation effects in the STS differ from those reported for F5 mirror neurons.
- These findings contribute to understanding neural processing of actions in primate brains.
