1
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Sulpizio V, Teghil A, Pitzalis S, Boccia M. Common and specific activations supporting optic flow processing and navigation as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02790-8. [PMID: 38592557 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02790-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Optic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and allocentric navigation. Optic flow processing shared activation with egocentric (but not allocentric) navigation in the anterior precuneus, suggesting its role in providing information about self-motion, as derived from the analysis of optic flow, in service of egocentric navigation. We further documented that optic flow perception and navigation are partially segregated into two functional and anatomical networks, i.e., the dorsal and the ventromedial networks. Present results point to a dynamic interplay between the dorsal and ventral visual pathways aimed at coordinating visually guided navigation in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
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2
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Sulpizio V, von Gal A, Galati G, Fattori P, Galletti C, Pitzalis S. Neural sensitivity to translational self- and object-motion velocities. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26571. [PMID: 38224544 PMCID: PMC10785198 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect and assess world-relative object-motion is a critical computation performed by the visual system. This computation, however, is greatly complicated by the observer's movements, which generate a global pattern of motion on the observer's retina. How the visual system implements this computation is poorly understood. Since we are potentially able to detect a moving object if its motion differs in velocity (or direction) from the expected optic flow generated by our own motion, here we manipulated the relative motion velocity between the observer and the object within a stationary scene as a strategy to test how the brain accomplishes object-motion detection. Specifically, we tested the neural sensitivity of brain regions that are known to respond to egomotion-compatible visual motion (i.e., egomotion areas: cingulate sulcus visual area, posterior cingulate sulcus area, posterior insular cortex [PIC], V6+, V3A, IPSmot/VIP, and MT+) to a combination of different velocities of visually induced translational self- and object-motion within a virtual scene while participants were instructed to detect object-motion. To this aim, we combined individual surface-based brain mapping, task-evoked activity by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and parametric and representational similarity analyses. We found that all the egomotion regions (except area PIC) responded to all the possible combinations of self- and object-motion and were modulated by the self-motion velocity. Interestingly, we found that, among all the egomotion areas, only MT+, V6+, and V3A were further modulated by object-motion velocities, hence reflecting their possible role in discriminating between distinct velocities of self- and object-motion. We suggest that these egomotion regions may be involved in the complex computation required for detecting scene-relative object-motion during self-motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and NeuroimagingSanta Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia)RomeItaly
- Department of PsychologySapienza UniversityRomeItaly
| | | | - Gaspare Galati
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and NeuroimagingSanta Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia)RomeItaly
- Department of PsychologySapienza UniversityRomeItaly
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor SciencesUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor SciencesUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and NeuroimagingSanta Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia)RomeItaly
- Department of Movement, Human and Health SciencesUniversity of Rome “Foro Italico”RomeItaly
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3
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Viganò S, Bayramova R, Doeller CF, Bottini R. Mental search of concepts is supported by egocentric vector representations and restructured grid maps. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8132. [PMID: 38065931 PMCID: PMC10709434 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43831-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The human hippocampal-entorhinal system is known to represent both spatial locations and abstract concepts in memory in the form of allocentric cognitive maps. Using fMRI, we show that the human parietal cortex evokes complementary egocentric representations in conceptual spaces during goal-directed mental search, akin to those observable during physical navigation to determine where a goal is located relative to oneself (e.g., to our left or to our right). Concurrently, the strength of the grid-like signal, a neural signature of allocentric cognitive maps in entorhinal, prefrontal, and parietal cortices, is modulated as a function of goal proximity in conceptual space. These brain mechanisms might support flexible and parallel readout of where target conceptual information is stored in memory, capitalizing on complementary reference frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Viganò
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Rena Bayramova
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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4
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Sulpizio V, Fattori P, Pitzalis S, Galletti C. Functional organization of the caudal part of the human superior parietal lobule. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105357. [PMID: 37572972 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Like in macaque, the caudal portion of the human superior parietal lobule (SPL) plays a key role in a series of perceptive, visuomotor and somatosensory processes. Here, we review the functional properties of three separate portions of the caudal SPL, i.e., the posterior parieto-occipital sulcus (POs), the anterior POs, and the anterior part of the caudal SPL. We propose that the posterior POs is mainly dedicated to the analysis of visual motion cues useful for object motion detection during self-motion and for spatial navigation, while the more anterior parts are implicated in visuomotor control of limb actions. The anterior POs is mainly involved in using the spotlight of attention to guide reach-to-grasp hand movements, especially in dynamic environments. The anterior part of the caudal SPL plays a central role in visually guided locomotion, being implicated in controlling leg-related movements as well as the four limbs interaction with the environment, and in encoding egomotion-compatible optic flow. Together, these functions reveal how the caudal SPL is strongly implicated in skilled visually-guided behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy; Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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5
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Rosenblum L, Kreß A, Arikan BE, Straube B, Bremmer F. Neural correlates of visual and tactile path integration and their task related modulation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9913. [PMID: 37337037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36797-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-motion induces sensory signals that allow to determine travel distance (path integration). For veridical path integration, one must distinguish self-generated from externally induced sensory signals. Predictive coding has been suggested to attenuate self-induced sensory responses, while task relevance can reverse the attenuating effect of prediction. But how is self-motion processing affected by prediction and task demands, and do effects generalize across senses? In this fMRI study, we investigated visual and tactile self-motion processing and its modulation by task demands. Visual stimuli simulated forward self-motion across a ground plane. Tactile self-motion stimuli were delivered by airflow across the subjects' forehead. In one task, subjects replicated a previously observed distance (Reproduction/Active; high behavioral demand) of passive self-displacement (Reproduction/Passive). In a second task, subjects travelled a self-chosen distance (Self/Active; low behavioral demand) which was recorded and played back to them (Self/Passive). For both tasks and sensory modalities, Active as compared to Passive trials showed enhancement in early visual areas and suppression in higher order areas of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Contrasting high and low demanding active trials yielded supramodal enhancement in the anterior insula. Suppression in the IPL suggests this area to be a comparator of sensory self-motion signals and predictions thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Rosenblum
- Department Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Alexander Kreß
- Department Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - B Ezgi Arikan
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Straube
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Translational Neuroimaging Marburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frank Bremmer
- Department Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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6
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Nentwich M, Leszczynski M, Russ BE, Hirsch L, Markowitz N, Sapru K, Schroeder CE, Mehta AD, Bickel S, Parra LC. Semantic novelty modulates neural responses to visual change across the human brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2910. [PMID: 37217478 PMCID: PMC10203305 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38576-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Our continuous visual experience in daily life is dominated by change. Previous research has focused on visual change due to stimulus motion, eye movements or unfolding events, but not their combined impact across the brain, or their interactions with semantic novelty. We investigate the neural responses to these sources of novelty during film viewing. We analyzed intracranial recordings in humans across 6328 electrodes from 23 individuals. Responses associated with saccades and film cuts were dominant across the entire brain. Film cuts at semantic event boundaries were particularly effective in the temporal and medial temporal lobe. Saccades to visual targets with high visual novelty were also associated with strong neural responses. Specific locations in higher-order association areas showed selectivity to either high or low-novelty saccades. We conclude that neural activity associated with film cuts and eye movements is widespread across the brain and is modulated by semantic novelty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Nentwich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Marcin Leszczynski
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Cognitive Science Department, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Brian E Russ
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University at Langone, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lukas Hirsch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noah Markowitz
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Kaustubh Sapru
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Ashesh D Mehta
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Stephan Bickel
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Lucas C Parra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Egomotion-related visual areas respond to goal-directed movements. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2313-2328. [PMID: 35763171 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02523-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Integration of proprioceptive signals from the various effectors with visual feedback of self-motion from the retina is necessary for whole-body movement and locomotion. Here, we tested whether the human visual motion areas involved in processing optic flow signals simulating self-motion are also activated by goal-directed movements (as saccades or pointing) performed with different effectors (eye, hand, and foot), suggesting a role in visually guiding movements through the external environment. To achieve this aim, we used a combined approach of task-evoked activity and effective connectivity (PsychoPhysiological Interaction, PPI) by fMRI. We localized a set of six egomotion-responsive visual areas through the flow field stimulus and distinguished them into visual (pIPS/V3A, V6+ , IPSmot/VIP) and visuomotor (pCi, CSv, PIC) areas according to recent literature. We tested their response to a visuomotor task implying spatially directed delayed eye, hand, and foot movements. We observed a posterior-to-anterior gradient of preference for eye-to-foot movements, with posterior (visual) regions showing a preference for saccades, and anterior (visuomotor) regions showing a preference for foot pointing. No region showed a clear preference for hand pointing. Effective connectivity analysis showed that visual areas were more connected to each other with respect to the visuomotor areas, particularly during saccades. We suggest that visual and visuomotor egomotion regions can play different roles within a network that integrates sensory-motor signals with the aim of guiding movements in the external environment.
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8
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Frey M, Nau M, Doeller CF. Magnetic resonance-based eye tracking using deep neural networks. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1772-1779. [PMID: 34750593 PMCID: PMC10097595 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00947-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Viewing behavior provides a window into many central aspects of human cognition and health, and it is an important variable of interest or confound in many functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. To make eye tracking freely and widely available for MRI research, we developed DeepMReye, a convolutional neural network (CNN) that decodes gaze position from the magnetic resonance signal of the eyeballs. It performs cameraless eye tracking at subimaging temporal resolution in held-out participants with little training data and across a broad range of scanning protocols. Critically, it works even in existing datasets and when the eyes are closed. Decoded eye movements explain network-wide brain activity also in regions not associated with oculomotor function. This work emphasizes the importance of eye tracking for the interpretation of fMRI results and provides an open source software solution that is widely applicable in research and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Frey
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Matthias Nau
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Centre for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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9
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Churan J, Kaminiarz A, Schwenk JCB, Bremmer F. Action-dependent processing of self-motion in parietal cortex of macaque monkeys. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2432-2443. [PMID: 34010579 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00049.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful interaction with the environment requires the dissociation of self-induced from externally induced sensory stimulation. Temporal proximity of action and effect is hereby often used as an indicator of whether an observed event should be interpreted as a result of own actions or not. We tested how the delay between an action (press of a touch bar) and an effect (onset of simulated self-motion) influences the processing of visually simulated self-motion in the ventral intraparietal area (VIP) of macaque monkeys. We found that a delay between the action and the start of the self-motion stimulus led to a rise of activity above the baseline activity before motion onset in a subpopulation of 21% of the investigated neurons. In the responses to the stimulus, we found a significantly lower sustained activity when the press of a touch bar and the motion onset were contiguous compared to the condition when the motion onset was delayed. We speculate that this weak inhibitory effect might be part of a mechanism that sharpens the tuning of VIP neurons during self-induced motion and thus has the potential to increase the precision of heading information that is required to adjust the orientation of self-motion in everyday navigational tasks.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Neurons in macaque ventral intraparietal area (VIP) are responding to sensory stimulation related to self-motion, e.g. visual optic flow. Here, we found that self-motion induced activation depends on the sense of agency, i.e., it differed when optic flow was perceived as self- or externally induced. This demonstrates that area VIP is well suited for study of the interplay between active behavior and sensory processing during self-motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Churan
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andre Kaminiarz
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jakob C B Schwenk
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frank Bremmer
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg, Germany
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10
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Pop-out for illusory rather than veridical trajectories with double-drift stimuli. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:3065-3071. [PMID: 32378147 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02035-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
If a patch of texture drifts in one direction while its internal texture drifts in the orthogonal direction, the perceived direction of this double-drift stimulus (also known as the infinite regress and curveball illusions) deviates strongly from its physical direction. Here, we use double-drift stimuli to construct two types of search arrays: The first had an oddball target in terms of the physical trajectories, but no oddball for the perceived trajectory, whereas the second had a perceptual oddball, but no physical oddball. We used these two arrays to determine whether pop-out operates over physical or perceived trajectories. Participants reported the location of the odd double-drift stimulus that had either a unique physical or perceived trajectory in a set of four or eight items. When the distractors all shared one perceived trajectory, but the target had an odd perceived trajectory, it popped out even though the physical trajectories of the stimuli were mixed: Accuracy rates were at ceiling, and response times decreased with increasing set size. In contrast, participants were significantly less accurate and slower at finding the physical oddball when all the paths had a common perceived trajectory. Moreover, responses became less accurate and slower with increasing set size. Our findings suggest that, at least for this type of stimulus, perceptual features can be processed rapidly, whereas the search for physical features is very inefficient.
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11
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Sulpizio V, Galati G, Fattori P, Galletti C, Pitzalis S. A common neural substrate for processing scenes and egomotion-compatible visual motion. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2091-2110. [PMID: 32647918 PMCID: PMC7473967 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02112-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have revealed two separate classes of category-selective regions specialized in optic flow (egomotion-compatible) processing and in scene/place perception. Despite the importance of both optic flow and scene/place recognition to estimate changes in position and orientation within the environment during self-motion, the possible functional link between egomotion- and scene-selective regions has not yet been established. Here we reanalyzed functional magnetic resonance images from a large sample of participants performing two well-known “localizer” fMRI experiments, consisting in passive viewing of navigationally relevant stimuli such as buildings and places (scene/place stimulus) and coherently moving fields of dots simulating the visual stimulation during self-motion (flow fields). After interrogating the egomotion-selective areas with respect to the scene/place stimulus and the scene-selective areas with respect to flow fields, we found that the egomotion-selective areas V6+ and pIPS/V3A responded bilaterally more to scenes/places compared to faces, and all the scene-selective areas (parahippocampal place area or PPA, retrosplenial complex or RSC, and occipital place area or OPA) responded more to egomotion-compatible optic flow compared to random motion. The conjunction analysis between scene/place and flow field stimuli revealed that the most important focus of common activation was found in the dorsolateral parieto-occipital cortex, spanning the scene-selective OPA and the egomotion-selective pIPS/V3A. Individual inspection of the relative locations of these two regions revealed a partial overlap and a similar response profile to an independent low-level visual motion stimulus, suggesting that OPA and pIPS/V3A may be part of a unique motion-selective complex specialized in encoding both egomotion- and scene-relevant information, likely for the control of navigation in a structured environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences-DIBINEM, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy. .,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| | - Gaspare Galati
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.,Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences-DIBINEM, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences-DIBINEM, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.,Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
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12
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Nau M, Navarro Schröder T, Frey M, Doeller CF. Behavior-dependent directional tuning in the human visual-navigation network. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3247. [PMID: 32591544 PMCID: PMC7320013 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17000-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain derives cognitive maps from sensory experience that guide memory formation and behavior. Despite extensive efforts, it still remains unclear how the underlying population activity unfolds during spatial navigation and how it relates to memory performance. To examine these processes, we combined 7T-fMRI with a kernel-based encoding model of virtual navigation to map world-centered directional tuning across the human cortex. First, we present an in-depth analysis of directional tuning in visual, retrosplenial, parahippocampal and medial temporal cortices. Second, we show that tuning strength, width and topology of this directional code during memory-guided navigation depend on successful encoding of the environment. Finally, we show that participants' locomotory state influences this tuning in sensory and mnemonic regions such as the hippocampus. We demonstrate a direct link between neural population tuning and human cognition, where high-level memory processing interacts with network-wide visuospatial coding in the service of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Nau
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tobias Navarro Schröder
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Markus Frey
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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Cavanagh P, Tse PU. The vector combination underlying the double-drift illusion is based on motion in world coordinates: Evidence from smooth pursuit. J Vis 2020; 19:2. [PMID: 31826247 DOI: 10.1167/19.14.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
If a Gabor pattern drifts in one direction while its internal texture drifts in the orthogonal direction, its perceived direction deviates strongly from its true direction and is instead some combination of its real external motion and its internal motion (Tse & Hsieh, 2006). In the first experiment, we confirm that, for the stimuli used in our experiment, the direction shifts on a gray background were explained by a vector combination of the internal and external motions whereas for the Gabor on a black background, we find no illusory shifts. These results suggest that the internal motion contributes to the perceived direction but only when the Gabor's positional uncertainty is high. Next, we test whether the vector combination is based on motions on the retina or motions in the world. When participants track a fixation point that moves in tandem with the Gabor, keeping it roughly stable on the retina, the illusion is undiminished. This finding indicates that the vector combination of internal and external motion that produces the double-drift illusion must happen after the eye movement signals have been factored into the stimulus motions to recover motions in the world, in particular, in areas V3A, V6, MSTd, and VIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Cavanagh
- Department of Psychology, Glendon College, CVR York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Peter U Tse
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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14
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Schindler A, Bartels A. Human V6 Integrates Visual and Extra-Retinal Cues during Head-Induced Gaze Shifts. iScience 2018; 7:191-197. [PMID: 30267680 PMCID: PMC6153141 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A key question in vision research concerns how the brain compensates for self-induced eye and head movements to form the world-centered, spatiotopic representations we perceive. Although human V3A and V6 integrate eye movements with vision, it is unclear which areas integrate head motion signals with visual retinotopic representations, as fMRI typically prevents head movement executions. Here we examined whether human early visual cortex V3A and V6 integrate these signals. A previously introduced paradigm allowed participant head movement during trials, but stabilized the head during data acquisition utilizing the delay between blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) and neural signals. Visual stimuli simulated either a stable environment or one with arbitrary head-coupled visual motion. Importantly, both conditions were matched in retinal and head motion. Contrasts revealed differential responses in human V6. Given the lack of vestibular responses in primate V6, these results suggest multi-modal integration of visual with neck efference copy signals or proprioception in V6. Setup with head-mounted goggles and head movement during fMRI Simulation of forward flow in stable or unstable world during head rotation Human V6 integrates visual self-motion with head motion signals Likely mediated by efference copy or proprioception as V6 lacks vestibular input
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Schindler
- Vision and Cognition Lab, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 25, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Centre for Integrative Neuroscience & MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
| | - Andreas Bartels
- Vision and Cognition Lab, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 25, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
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15
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Nau M, Julian JB, Doeller CF. How the Brain's Navigation System Shapes Our Visual Experience. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:810-825. [PMID: 30031670 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We explore the environment not only by navigating, but also by viewing our surroundings with our eyes. Here we review growing evidence that the mammalian hippocampal formation, extensively studied in the context of navigation and memory, mediates a representation of visual space that is stably anchored to the external world. This visual representation puts the hippocampal formation in a central position to guide viewing behavior and to modulate visual processing beyond the medial temporal lobe (MTL). We suggest that vision and navigation share several key computational challenges that are solved by overlapping and potentially common neural systems, making vision an optimal domain to explore whether and how the MTL supports cognitive operations beyond navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Nau
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Joshua B Julian
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; These authors contributed equally to this work.
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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