Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
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Microdissection of Mouse Brain into Functionally and Anatomically Different Regions
Published on: February 15, 2021
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Dissociable cortical regions represent things and stuff in the human brain
Vivian C Paulun1, Raghavendra Rao T Pramod1, Joshua B Tenenbaum2
1McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Current Biology : CB
|August 1, 2025
Summary
Scientists discovered distinct brain processing for "things" versus "stuff." This research on visual perception reveals separate neural pathways for rigid objects and non-solid substances like liquids and granular materials.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Prior research identified brain regions for rigid object perception (LOC, FPN).
- The perception of non-solid substances ('stuff') remains largely unexplored.
- Stuff, like liquids and granular materials, has different physical properties and invites different actions than rigid objects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of 'stuff' perception.
- To determine if the brain processes 'things' and 'stuff' using distinct mechanisms.
- To compare brain responses to rigid objects versus deformable substances.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan participants.
- Participants viewed videos of rigid objects ('things') and non-solid substances ('stuff').
- Analysis focused on activity within the ventral and dorsal visual pathways.
Main Results:
- Double dissociations were observed in processing 'things' versus 'stuff' across visual pathways.
- Distinct neural processing was identified for rigid objects compared to deformable substances.
- Evidence suggests different mental algorithms are employed for perceiving 'things' and 'stuff'.
Conclusions:
- The human brain employs distinct neural algorithms for processing rigid objects and non-solid substances.
- Findings highlight specialized visual processing for different material properties.
- This research provides a foundation for understanding the perception of diverse physical materials.
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