QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, October 11, 2006, 26(41):10524-10535; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1532-06.2006

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (6) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Suzuki, W. Articles by Tanaka, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Suzuki, W. Articles by Tanaka, K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Neuronal Responses to Object Images in the Macaque Inferotemporal Cortex at Different Stimulus Discrimination Levels

Wataru Suzuki,^1,2 Kenji Matsumoto,¹ and Keiji Tanaka^1,3

¹Cognitive Brain Mapping Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan, ²Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan, and ³Saitama University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama, Saitama 338-8570, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to Keiji Tanaka, Cognitive Brain Mapping Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. Email: keiji{at}riken.jp

We can discriminate visual objects at multiple levels, from coarse categorization to individual identification. It is not known how the brain adapts to the varying levels of discrimination required in different behavioral contexts. In the present study, we investigated whether the stimulus selectivity of neuronal responses in the monkey inferotemporal cortex, which is the final unimodal stage in the ventral visual pathway, changes with the varying levels of discrimination required for different task conditions. Responses of each inferotemporal cell to the same set of nine object images were examined in two different task conditions. The task alternated between coarse and fine discriminations in the first experiment, and the rule alternated between categorization and individual object identification in the second experiment. Despite these changes in the task requirements and the resulting differences in the monkeys' behavior, we found that the responses of inferotemporal cells were largely unchanged in both experiments. Our results suggest that representation of object images in the inferotemporal cortex is stable and rather insensitive to these kinds of shifts in behavioral context. Neuronal adaptations to behavioral context may occur downstream of the inferotemporal cortex.

Key words: monkey; visual cortex; inferotemporal cortex; object discrimination; stimulus selectivity; task dependence

---

Received April 10, 2006; revised Sept. 4, 2006; accepted Sept. 5, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Keiji Tanaka, Cognitive Brain Mapping Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. Email: keiji{at}riken.jp

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B.-E. Verhoef, G. Kayaert, E. Franko, J. Vangeneugden, and R. Vogels Stimulus Similarity-Contingent Neural Adaptation Can Be Time and Cortical Area Dependent J. Neurosci., October 15, 2008; 28(42): 10631 - 10640. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Liu and B. Jagadeesh Neural Selectivity in Anterior Inferotemporal Cortex for Morphed Photographic Images During Behavioral Classification or Fixation J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2008; 100(2): 966 - 982. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Q. Gentner Surprising Twist on Auditory Representation. Focus on: "What's That Sound? Auditory Area CLM Encodes Stimulus Surprise, Not Intensity or Intensity Changes" J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2008; 99(6): 2755 - 2756. [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help