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A shared code for perceiving and imagining objects in human ventral temporal cortex
V S Wadia1,2, C M Reed3, J M Chung3
1Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 9, 2026
Summary
Human brain imaging reveals that visual imagery reactivates the same neurons used for visual perception. This suggests the brain uses a generative model for imagining objects, supported by ventral temporal cortex (VTC) neurons.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Animal studies offer insights into visual perception mechanisms.
- Neural mechanisms underlying human visual imagery are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the neural basis of visual imagery in the human brain.
- Determine if visual imagery utilizes the same neural pathways as visual perception.
Main Methods:
- Recorded single-neuron activity in the human ventral temporal cortex (VTC).
- Identified a distributed axis code used by VTC neurons to represent objects.
- Generated synthetic stimuli based on this neural code.
- Compared neural responses during object perception and imagination.
Main Results:
- Approximately 80% of visually responsive VTC neurons use a distributed axis code for object representation.
- About 40% of axis-tuned VTC neurons recapitulated their visual code during mental imagery.
- Demonstrated single-neuron evidence for a generative model in the human VTC.
Conclusions:
- Visual imagery involves the reactivation of neural populations engaged in visual perception.
- The human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) plays a crucial role in both perception and imagery.
- Findings support the existence of a generative model for mental imagery in the brain.
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