Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
07:08
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
8.3K
Graspable foods and tools elicit similar responses in visual cortex
J Brendan Ritchie1, Spencer Andrews1, Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam1,2
1The Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, The National Institute of Mental Health, MD, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 26, 2024
Summary
Visual cortex responses to food may stem from its action-related properties, like tools, rather than distinct food categories. This suggests visual processing prioritizes behavioral affordances over strict object classification.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Extrastriatal visual cortex shows varied responses to ecologically important stimuli like faces, scenes, and tools.
- The prevailing view is that these responses arise from category-selective brain regions.
- An alternative hypothesis suggests responses are driven by behavioral relevance rather than category membership.
Approach:
- Investigated food as a test case due to its edibility and association with behaviors like eating and manipulation.
- Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral experiments.
- Compared neural and behavioral responses to graspable food items and tools.
Key Points:
- Behaviorally, graspable food items and tools were perceived as similar in action-related properties.
- fMRI data revealed similar neural response patterns for images of graspable food and tools in the extrastriatal visual cortex.
- The location and magnitude of neural responses also showed comparable profiles for both stimulus types.
Conclusions:
- Food-selectivity in the visual cortex may be driven by the shared affordance properties with tools (e.g., graspability, manipulability).
- This challenges the notion of distinct category-selective regions for food.
- Findings suggest visual representation is influenced by behavioral affordances and natural actions.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
3.8K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
3.8K
01:24Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
494
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
494
01:12Visual Agnosia
195
Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round...
195
01:26Visual System
580
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
580
01:24Vision
53.2K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
53.2K
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
5.3K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
5.3K