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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Midbrain activity shapes high-level visual properties in the primate temporal cortex.

Amarender R Bogadhi¹, Leor N Katz², Anil Bollimunta³

¹Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany.

|December 18, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Inactivating the superior colliculus (SC) disrupts attention processing in the floor of the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS) by altering neuronal activity and object selectivity. This suggests the SC prioritizes cortical processing of behaviorally relevant visual events.

Keywords:

attentional modulation change detection detection activity object recognition object selectivity selective attention subcortical pathways superior colliculus superior temporal sulcus temporal cortex

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Last Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

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Published on: August 1, 2018

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Published on: May 10, 2012

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

Published on: October 24, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Primate Vision

Background:

The floor of the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS) in macaques is a key cortical target of superior colliculus (SC) projections.
The precise role of fSTS neurons in attention and their dependence on SC activity remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how superior colliculus (SC) activity influences attentional modulation and object selectivity in the floor of the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS).
To elucidate the contribution of the SC-fSTS circuit to processing behaviorally relevant visual information.

Main Methods:

Utilized fMRI and electrophysiological recordings in macaque monkeys.
Performed temporary inactivation of the superior colliculus (SC) to assess its impact on fSTS neuronal activity.
Analyzed neuronal responses during attention-demanding visual tasks.

Main Results:

SC inactivation decreased attentional modulation in fSTS neurons, characterized by increased firing to ignored stimuli and decreased firing to attended stimuli.
The link between fSTS event-related activity and detection performance was abolished upon SC inactivation.
SC inactivation significantly reduced the object selectivity of fSTS neurons.

Conclusions:

fSTS neuronal properties, including attentional modulation and object selectivity, are dependent on SC activity.
The SC-fSTS circuit plays a crucial role in processing behaviorally relevant visual signals.
SC may prioritize cortical processing of events initially detected subcortically.