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Updated: Sep 10, 2025
07:08
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
8.4K
Object representations in human ventral and dorsal cortex depend on display format and physical distance
Grant T Fairchild1,2, Desiree E Holler1,3, Sara Fabbri1,4
1Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Mail Stop 296, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89502, United States.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|August 20, 2025
Summary
Real objects and pictures are processed differently by the brain, with proximity significantly impacting neural responses, especially in areas crucial for action. This research clarifies how the brain represents visual information for both perception and action.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Object perception and action rely on visual cues like distance and size.
- Traditional vision studies often use ambiguous 2D images, not real objects relevant for action.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the brain represents object information using real objects versus 2D pictures.
- To examine the effects of physical distance on these neural representations.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Participants viewed real objects and 2D pictures at varying distances.
Main Results:
- Stimulus distance modulated fMRI response amplitudes for both formats.
- Proximity amplified responses to real objects more than pictures in lateral occipital and parietal cortex.
- Distance differentially affected representations in ventral and dorsal visual pathways.
Conclusions:
- Object size representations in ventral cortex were independent of proximity.
- In dorsal cortex, object size representations were evident only for proximal stimuli.
- Reveals similarities and differences in ventral and dorsal cortex object representation for perception and action.
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