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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
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The involvement of the dorsal stream in processing implied actions between paired objects: A TMS study
Shan Xu1, Glyn W Humphreys2, Carmel Mevorach3
1School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Neuropsychologia
|December 31, 2016
Summary
The dorsal visual stream is crucial for processing object affordances and implied actions between objects. Disrupting the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) affected these processes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Object affordances, or action possibilities, are key to human vision, extending beyond single objects.
- Previous research identified inhibitory and advantageous effects of implied actions between paired objects on response selection.
- The two visual stream theory posits distinct roles for ventral (perception) and dorsal (action) visual pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying implied action effects between objects.
- To determine the involvement of the ventral and dorsal visual streams in processing these effects.
- To examine how disrupting specific brain regions affects response selection based on implied actions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized online repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to temporarily disrupt brain activity.
- Applied rTMS to the left anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) and left lateral occipital areas (LO).
- Measured the impact of rTMS on inhibitory and advantageous effects of implied actions in paired object scenarios.
Main Results:
- rTMS to the left aIPS significantly reduced both the inhibitory effect on passive objects and the advantage for active objects, particularly when active objects were contralateral.
- rTMS applied to the left lateral occipital areas (LO) did not produce significant alterations in implied action effects.
- These findings highlight the role of the dorsal visual stream in processing interactions between objects.
Conclusions:
- The dorsal visual stream, specifically regions like the aIPS, is critical for processing implied actions between objects, not just single-object affordances.
- The findings support the two visual stream theory by demonstrating the dorsal stream's involvement in complex action-related visual processing.
- Interactions between objects influence response selection through mechanisms heavily reliant on the dorsal visual pathway.
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