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The limited contribution of early visual cortex in visual working memory for surface roughness
Munendo Fujimichi1,2, Hiroki Yamamoto3, Jun Saiki3
1Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Nihonmatsucho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan. fujimichi@cv.jinkan.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Experimental Brain Research
|July 20, 2020
Summary
Early visual cortex is not essential for visual working memory (VWM) when object properties change. The ventral visual cortex and intraparietal sulcus support VWM under varying illumination, not early visual areas.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual working memory (VWM) is crucial for retaining visual information.
- Previous research suggests VWM relies on distributed brain networks, including early visual cortex.
- The role of early visual cortex in VWM under changing environmental conditions is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the necessity of the early visual cortex for stable VWM under changing illumination.
- To determine which brain regions support VWM for object surface properties during illumination shifts.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity.
- Participants performed a delayed roughness discrimination task with varying illumination.
- Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) was applied to fMRI data in specific brain regions.
Main Results:
- The ventral visual cortex and intraparietal sulcus were significantly involved in roughness VWM under changing illumination.
- The early visual cortex showed less robust support for VWM under these conditions.
- These findings indicate that early visual cortex representations alone are insufficient for stable VWM with changing illumination.
Conclusions:
- The early visual cortex is not solely responsible for visual working memory, especially when visual conditions change.
- Higher-level visual areas, such as the ventral visual cortex and intraparietal sulcus, play a critical role in maintaining VWM under varying illumination.
- Robust VWM requires flexible representations beyond the early visual cortex to adapt to environmental changes.
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