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Primate superior colliculus is causally engaged in abstract higher-order cognition
Barbara Peysakhovich1, Ou Zhu1, Stephanie M Tetrick1
1Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Nature Neuroscience
|September 19, 2024
Summary
The superior colliculus, a midbrain region, plays a key role in higher-order cognition like abstract visual categorization. This finding challenges previous assumptions about its function beyond spatial orienting.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Primate Neurobiology
Background:
- The superior colliculus (SC) is traditionally associated with spatial orienting, including eye movements and attention.
- Its potential role in higher-order cognitive functions remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the superior colliculus in abstract visual categorization, independent of spatial orienting functions.
- To compare the neural encoding of categories in the SC with the posterior parietal cortex (PPC).
Main Methods:
- Rhesus macaques were trained on an abstract visual categorization task.
- Neural activity in the SC and PPC was recorded and compared.
- The effect of SC inactivation on categorization performance was assessed.
Main Results:
- The SC demonstrated robust encoding of learned visual categories.
- Category encoding in the SC was stronger and emerged at a similar latency compared to the PPC.
- Inactivation of the SC significantly impaired abstract category decision-making.
Conclusions:
- The primate superior colliculus mediates abstract, higher-order cognitive processes.
- These cognitive functions were previously attributed primarily to the neocortex.
- The SC's role extends beyond spatial orienting to complex decision-making.
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