Functional Organization of Visual Object Processing

视觉对象处理的功能组织

• 批准号: 7263362
• 负责人: ROGER B TOOTELL
• 金额: $ 54.39万
• 依托单位: MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-06-01 至 2012-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7263362
• 关键词: Functional; Organization; Visual; Object; Processing

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): At high levels of the primate visual system (e.g. those involved in visual object processing, in the 'ventral stream' including inferotemporal cortex), we do not fully understand the neural processing. Existing evidence is based largely on 1) single unit recordings from macaque monkey, or from 2) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans. Because such evidence arises from quite different techniques, in different primates, with different historical backgrounds, it can be difficult to integrate this information into a coherent understanding of how visual objects are processed in brain. Such information is especially important for the eventual understanding of autism, prosopagnosia and other agnosias, and schizophrenia. Here we propose to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in both humans and macaque monkeys, and anatomical techniques in monkeys, to narrow this information gap and to define the common functional architecture of 'primate' ventral stream. Among many possible object stimuli, we focus on specialized neural regions which appear to process faces. In aim #1, we will use a novel fMRI approach to map the activity produced by faces (and other objects), in humans and monkeys, to test how specific stimulus variations are mapped across the cortical topography. Current fMRI information on this topic is instead based on responses to multiple stimuli (object categories) and/or adaptation effects - rather than direct, high-resolution maps of activity produced by individual stimuli. In aim #2, we quantitatively compare the fMRI maps for face- and object-selective activity in humans and monkeys, to further test which of these cortical regions 'match' each other in the two species, and which do not. After testing and confirming that these face- and object-selective regions 'match', we can study them further using classical neurobiological techniques in the macaque (e.g. aims #3 and 4), as a model for corresponding regions in humans. In aim #3, we will use novel MRI-based techniques to map the neural connections to-and-from the face-selective cortical regions, relative to nearby regions which are activated by different objects. In aim #4, we will measure face perception using psychophysics in monkeys, and make lesions in the fMRI-defined face-selective regions, to test whether damage to the face-selective regions may explain the clinical syndrome of prosopagnosia (facial 'blindness') in human patients.

描述（由申请人提供）：在灵长类动物视觉系统的高水平上（例如，参与视觉对象处理的那些，在包括腹部皮质在内的“腹流”中），我们不完全理解神经处理。现有证据主要基于1）猕猴的单位记录，或2）人类中的功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）。由于这种证据来自具有不同历史背景的不同灵长类动物中的完全不同的技术，因此很难将这些信息整合到对大脑中视觉对象如何处理的一致理解中。此类信息对于最终理解自闭症，prosopagnosia和其他不可思议以及精神分裂症尤其重要。在这里，我们建议在人类和猕猴中使用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI），以及猴子中的解剖技术，以缩小此信息差距并定义“灵长类动物”腹侧的常见功能结构。在许多可能的物体刺激中，我们专注于似乎正在处理面孔的专门神经区域。在AIM＃1中，我们将使用一种新颖的fMRI方法来绘制人类和猴子中面部（以及其他物体）产生的活动，以测试如何在皮质形状上映射特定的刺激变化。相反，有关该主题的当前fMRI信息是基于对多个刺激（对象类别）和/或适应效应的响应，而不是由单个刺激产生的直接的，高分辨率的活动图。在AIM＃2中，我们定量比较了人类和猴子的面部和对象选择活动的fMRI图，以进一步测试这些皮质区域中的哪一个在两个物种中相互匹配，哪些不匹配。在测试并确认这些面部和对象选择区域“匹配”之后，我们可以使用猕猴中的经典神经生物学技术进一步研究它们（例如目标＃3和4），作为人类相应地区的模型。在AIM＃3中，我们将使用新颖的基于MRI的技术将神经连接映射到面部选择性皮质区域，相对于附近的区域，这些区域被不同的物体激活。在AIM＃4中，我们将使用猴子中的心理物理学来衡量面部感知，并在fMRI定义的面部选择区域中进行病变，以测试人类患者对面部选择区域的损害是否可以解释脸部选择区域的临床综合征（面部“盲人”）。