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Updated: Oct 17, 2025

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
Symmetry Processing in the Macaque Visual Cortex
Pauline Audurier1,2, Yseult Héjja-Brichard1,2, Vanessa De Castro1,2
1Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, 31052 Toulouse, France.
Abstract:
Symmetry is a highly salient feature of the natural world that is perceived by many species. In humans, the cerebral areas processing symmetry are now well identified from neuroimaging measurements. Macaque could constitute a good animal model to explore the underlying neural mechanisms, but a previous comparative study concluded that functional magnetic resonance imaging responses to mirror symmetry in this species were weaker than those observed in humans. Here, we re-examined symmetry processing in macaques from a broader perspective, using both rotation and reflection symmetry embedded in regular textures. Highly consistent responses to symmetry were found in a large network of areas (notably in areas V3 and V4), in line with what was reported in humans under identical experimental conditions. Our results suggest that the cortical networks that process symmetry in humans and macaques are potentially more similar than previously reported and point toward macaque as a relevant model for understanding symmetry processing.
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