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Conflicting demands of abstract and specific visual object processing resolved by frontoparietal networks
Brenton W McMenamin1, Chad J Marsolek2, Brianna K Morseth3
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. bmc@umd.edu.
Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
|February 18, 2016
Summary
The brain coordinates visual processing subsystems using the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) for proactive control and a frontoparietal network for reactive control during conflicting object categorization and exemplar identification tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Humans perform object categorization and exemplar identification, which place conflicting demands on the visual system.
- Previous research suggests dissociable visual processing subsystems: abstract category (AC) in the left hemisphere and specific exemplar (SE) in the right hemisphere.
- Mechanisms for coordinating these subsystems and resolving conflicts remain unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms coordinating distinct visual processing subsystems.
- To identify proactive and reactive control mechanisms during conflicting AC and SE tasks.
- To explore the role of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in managing these visual subsystems.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to collect brain activity data.
- Participants completed cue-probe working memory tasks requiring either AC or SE processing.
- Hemispheric asymmetries in functional connectivity and frontoparietal network activation were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) showed hemispheric asymmetries in functional connectivity, indicating proactive control.
- Greater connectivity to the left hemisphere occurred during AC tasks, and to the right during SE tasks.
- A frontoparietal network, including the IPS, showed reactive control during subsystem conflict, influenced by stimulus similarity.
Conclusions:
- The study identified neural mechanisms for coordinating visual processing subsystems.
- Proactive control is exerted by the IPS, with hemispheric specialization.
- Reactive control by a frontoparietal network resolves conflicts between visual subsystems.
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