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Research Articles, Behavioral/Cognitive

Abstract Encoding of Categorical Decisions in Medial Superior Temporal and Lateral Intraparietal Cortices

Yang Zhou, Krithika Mohan and David J. Freedman
Journal of Neuroscience 30 November 2022, 42 (48) 9069-9081; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-22.2022
Yang Zhou
1Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
2PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
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Krithika Mohan
1Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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David J. Freedman
1Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
3The University of Chicago Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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Abstract

Categorization is an essential cognitive and perceptual process for decision-making and recognition. The posterior parietal cortex, particularly the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area has been suggested to transform visual feature encoding into abstract categorical representations. By contrast, areas closer to sensory input, such as the middle temporal (MT) area, encode stimulus features but not more abstract categorical information during categorization tasks. Here, we compare the contributions of the medial superior temporal (MST) and LIP areas in category computation by recording neuronal activity in both areas from two male rhesus macaques trained to perform a visual motion categorization task. MST is a core motion-processing region interconnected with MT and is often considered an intermediate processing stage between MT and LIP. We show that MST exhibits robust decision-correlated motion category encoding and working memory encoding similar to LIP, suggesting that MST plays a substantial role in cognitive computation, extending beyond its widely recognized role in visual motion processing.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Categorization requires assigning incoming sensory stimuli into behaviorally relevant groups. Previous work found that parietal area LIP shows a strong encoding of the learned category membership of visual motion stimuli, while visual area MT shows strong direction tuning but not category tuning during a motion direction categorization task. Here we show that the medial superior temporal (MST) area, a visual motion-processing region interconnected with both LIP and MT, shows strong visual category encoding similar to that observed in LIP. This suggests that MST plays a greater role in abstract cognitive functions, extending beyond its well known role in visual motion processing.

  • categorization
  • decision-making
  • medial superior temporal area
  • motion vision
  • parietal cortex
  • primate

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The Journal of Neuroscience: 42 (48)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 42, Issue 48
30 Nov 2022
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Abstract Encoding of Categorical Decisions in Medial Superior Temporal and Lateral Intraparietal Cortices
Yang Zhou, Krithika Mohan, David J. Freedman
Journal of Neuroscience 30 November 2022, 42 (48) 9069-9081; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-22.2022

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Abstract Encoding of Categorical Decisions in Medial Superior Temporal and Lateral Intraparietal Cortices
Yang Zhou, Krithika Mohan, David J. Freedman
Journal of Neuroscience 30 November 2022, 42 (48) 9069-9081; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-22.2022
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Keywords

  • categorization
  • decision-making
  • medial superior temporal area
  • motion vision
  • parietal cortex
  • primate

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