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Functional difference between the ventral visual cortex and the intraparietal sulcus in visual working memory of
Munendo Fujimichi1,2, Hiroki Yamamoto1, Jun Saiki1
1Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Nihonmatsucho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto.
Neuroreport
|August 29, 2020
Summary
Visual working memory (VWM) involves distinct brain regions for processing material properties. The ventral visual cortex extracts visual information, while the intraparietal sulcus maintains it for robust recall.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Previous research localized object roughness in visual working memory (VWM) to the ventral visual cortex and intraparietal sulcus (IPS).
- The specific functional roles of these brain regions in VWM of material properties remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct contributions of the ventral visual cortex and IPS in VWM of material properties like glossiness and roughness.
- To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the extraction and maintenance of visual material information in memory.
Main Methods:
- Human participants completed delayed discrimination tasks involving glossiness or roughness of spheres.
- Brain activity patterns during the delay period were decoded to determine task information (glossiness vs. roughness).
Main Results:
- Both the ventral visual cortex and IPS were found to contribute to the maintenance of material properties in VWM.
- The ventral visual cortex showed above-chance decoding for extracting material properties.
- The IPS demonstrated above-chance decoding for maintaining properties in memory over time.
Conclusions:
- Material properties are visually processed in the ventral visual cortex during VWM.
- This visual information is subsequently transferred to the IPS for robust maintenance in memory.
- These findings delineate a functional dissociation within the VWM network for material attributes.
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