Task-specific, dimension-based attentional shaping of motion processing in monkey area MT

Nonspatially selective attention is based on the notion that specific features or objects in the visual environment are effectively prioritized in cortical visual processing. Feature-based attention (FBA), in particular, is a well-studied process that dynamically and selectively addresses neurons preferentially processing the attended feature attribute (e.g., leftward motion). In everyday life, however, behavior may require high sensitivity for an entire feature dimension (e.g., motion), but experimental evidence for a feature dimension-specific attentional modulation on a cellular level is lacking. Therefore, we investigated neuronal activity in macaque motion-selective mediotemporal area (MT) in an experimental setting requiring the monkeys to detect either a motion change or a color change. We hypothesized that neural activity in MT is enhanced when the task requires perceptual sensitivity to motion. In line with this, we found that mean firing rates were higher in the motion task and that response variability and latency were lower compared with values in the color task, despite identical visual stimulation. This task-specific, dimension-based modulation of motion processing emerged already in the absence of visual input, was independent of the relation between the attended and stimulating motion direction, and was accompanied by a spatially global reduction of neuronal variability. The results provide single-cell support for the hypothesis of a feature dimension-specific top-down signal emphasizing the processing of an entire feature class. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cortical processing serving visual perception prioritizes information according to current task requirements. We provide evidence in favor of a dimension-based attentional mechanism addressing all neurons that process visual information in the task-relevant feature domain. Behavioral tasks required monkeys to attend either color or motion, causing modulations of response strength, variability, latency, and baseline activity of motion-selective monkey area MT neurons irrespective of the attended motion direction but specific to the attended feature dimension.

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Task-specific, dimension-based attentional shaping of motion processing in area MT

10.1101/058693 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bastian Schledde ◽

F. Orlando Galashan ◽

Magdalena Przybyla ◽

Andreas K. Kreiter ◽

Detlef Wegener

Keyword(s):

Visual Processing ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Color Change ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Specific Response ◽

Area Mt ◽

Temporal Area ◽

Baseline Activity ◽

Feature Dimension

AbstractNon-spatial selective attention is based on the notion that specific features or objects in the visual environment are effectively prioritized in cortical visual processing. Feature-based attention (FBA) in particular, is a well-studied process that dynamically and selectively enhances neurons preferentially processing the attended feature attribute (e.g. leftward motion). In everyday life, however, behavior may require high sensitivity for an entire feature dimension (e.g. motion). Yet, evidence for feature dimension-specific attentional modulation on a cellular level is lacking. We here investigate neuronal activity in macaque motion-selective medio-temporal area (MT) in an experimental setting requiring the monkeys to detect either a motion change or a color change. We hypothesized that neural activity in MT is enhanced if the task requires perceptual sensitivity to motion. Despite identical visual stimulation, we found that mean firing rates were higher in the motion task, and response variability and latency were lower as compared to the color task. This task-specific response modulation in the processing of visual motion was independent from the relation between attended and stimulating motion direction. It emerged already in the absence of visual input, and consisted of a spatially global and tuning-independent shift of the MT baseline activity. The results provide single cell support for the hypothesis of a feature dimension-specific top-down signal emphasizing the processing of an entire feature class.

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The movement of motion-defined contours can bias perceived position

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2008.0622 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 270-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Szonya Durant ◽

Johannes M Zanker

Keyword(s):

Visual Processing ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Local Motion ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Motion Patterns ◽

Object Properties ◽

Accurate Position ◽

Processing Steps ◽

Over Time

Illusory position shifts induced by motion suggest that motion processing can interfere with perceived position. This may be because accurate position representation is lost during successive visual processing steps. We found that complex motion patterns, which can only be extracted at a global level by pooling and segmenting local motion signals and integrating over time, can influence perceived position. We used motion-defined Gabor patterns containing motion-defined boundaries, which themselves moved over time. This ‘motion-defined motion’ induced position biases of up to 0.5°, much larger than has been found with luminance-defined motion. The size of the shift correlated with how detectable the motion-defined motion direction was, suggesting that the amount of bias increased with the magnitude of this complex directional signal. However, positional shifts did occur even when participants were not aware of the direction of the motion-defined motion. The size of the perceptual position shift was greatly reduced when the position judgement was made relative to the location of a static luminance-defined square, but not eliminated. These results suggest that motion-induced position shifts are a result of general mechanisms matching dynamic object properties with spatial location.

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Robust effects of corticothalamic feedback during naturalistic visual stimulation

10.1101/776237 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Martin A. Spacek ◽

Gregory Born ◽

Davide Crombie ◽

Yannik Bauer ◽

Xinyu Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Processing ◽

Visual Information ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Visual Stimuli ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Behavioral State ◽

Feedback Effects ◽

Tonic Firing ◽

Firing Mode ◽

Corticothalamic Feedback

AbstractNeurons in the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus are contacted by a large number of feedback synapses from cortex, whose role in visual processing is poorly understood. Past studies investigating this role have mostly used simple visual stimuli and anesthetized animals, but corticothalamic (CT) feedback might be particularly relevant during processing of complex visual stimuli, and its effects might depend on behavioral state. Here, we find that CT feedback robustly modulates responses to naturalistic movie clips by increasing response gain and promoting tonic firing mode. Compared to these robust effects for naturalistic movies, CT feedback effects on firing rates were less consistent for simple grating stimuli, likely related to differences in spatial context. Finally, while CT feedback and locomotion affected dLGN responses in similar ways, we found their effects to be largely independent. We propose that CT feedback and behavioral state use separate circuits to modulate visual information on its way to cortex in a context-dependent manner.

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Graded Effects of Spatial and Featural Attention on Human Area MT and Associated Motion Processing Areas

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1997.78.1.516 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 78 (1) ◽

pp. 516-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 161

Author(s):

Michael S. Beauchamp ◽

Robert W. Cox ◽

Edgar A. Deyoe

Keyword(s):

Spatial Attention ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Related Factors ◽

Area Mt ◽

Subtle Change ◽

Normal Human ◽

High Degree

Beauchamp, Michael S., Robert W. Cox, and Edgar A. DeYoe. Graded effects of spatial and featural attention on human area MT and associated motion processing areas. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 516–520, 1997. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify the effects of changes in spatial and featural attention on brain activity in the middle temporal visual area and associated motion processing regions (hMT+) of normal human subjects. When subjects performed a discrimination task that directed their spatial attention to a peripherally presented annulus and their featural attention to the speed of points in the annulus, activity in hMT+ was maximal. If subjects were instead asked to discriminate the color of points in the annulus, the magnitude and volume of activation in hMT+ fell to 64 and 35%, respectively, of the previously observed maximum response. In another experiment, subjects were asked to direct their spatial attention away from the annulus toward the fixation point to detect a subtle change in luminance. The response magnitude and volume dropped to 40 and 9% of maximum. These experiments demonstrate that both spatial and featural attention modulate hMT+ and that their effects can work in concert to modulate cortical activity. The high degree of modulation by attention suggests that an understanding of the stimulus-driven properties of visual cortex needs to be complemented with an investigation of the effects of task-related factors on visual processing.

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Disentangling locus of perceptual learning in the visual hierarchy of motion processing

10.1101/282319 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ruyuan Zhang ◽

Duje Tadin

Keyword(s):

Perceptual Learning ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Middle Level ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Visual Perceptual Learning ◽

Visual Hierarchy ◽

High Level

ABSTRACTVisual perceptual learning (VPL) can lead to long-lasting perceptual improvements. While the efficacy of VPL is well established, there is still a considerable debate about what mechanisms underlie the effects of VPL. Much of this debate concentrates on where along the visual processing hierarchy behaviorally relevant plasticity takes place. Here, we aimed to tackle this question in context of motion processing, a domain where links between behavior and processing hierarchy are well established. Specifically, we took advantage of an established transition from component-dependent representations at the earliest level to pattern-dependent representations at the middle-level of cortical motion processing. We trained two groups of participants on the same motion direction identification task using either grating or plaid stimuli. A set of pre- and post-training tests was used to determine the degree of learning specificity and generalizability. This approach allowed us to disentangle contributions from both low- and mid-level motion processing, as well as high-level cognitive changes. We observed a complete bi-directional transfer of learning between component and pattern stimuli as long as they shared the same apparent motion direction. This result indicates learning-induced plasticity at intermediate levels of motion processing. Moreover, we found that motion VPL is specific to the trained stimulus direction, speed, size, and contrast, highlighting the pivotal role of basic visual features in VPL, and diminishing the possibility of non-sensory decision-level enhancements. Taken together, our study psychophysically examined a variety of factors mediating motion VPL, and demonstrated that motion VPL most likely alters visual computation in the middle stage of motion processing.

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Modulatory influence of putative inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis on visual processing in the cat lateral geniculate nucleus

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1994.71.1.146 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 146-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

J. Cudeiro ◽

C. Rivadulla ◽

R. Rodriguez ◽

S. Martinez-Conde ◽

C. Acuna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Visual Information ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Discharge Rate ◽

Substantial Reduction ◽

Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽

Simultaneous Application ◽

Lateral Geniculate

1. Using an in vivo preparation we have examined the actions of two inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOArg) and NG-methyl-L-arginine (L-MeArg), in the feline dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). We compared the responses obtained to iontophoretic application of these substances during visual stimulation with those elicited by visual stimulation alone. The effects of concurrent ejection of L-arginine (L-Arg), the normal physiological substrate of NOS, and D-arginine, the inactive isomer, were tested on these responses. 2. Extracellular application of L-NOArg and L-MeArg produced clear and repeatable effects, consisting of substantial reduction in discharge rate without affecting response selectivity, on 94% of tested cells. These effects were prevented by simultaneous application of L-Arg, which when ejected alone produced no change on visual evoked responses. 3. The data suggest that nitric oxide (NO) is necessary for the transmission of the visual input under normal visual stimulation and show a direct involvement of NO in visual information processing at the level of dLGN, suggesting that its contribution to brain mechanisms is more profound than previously thought.

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The posterior cingulate cortex and planum temporale/parietal operculum are activated by coherent visual motion

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s0952523808080024 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 17-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

A. ANTAL ◽

J. BAUDEWIG ◽

W. PAULUS ◽

P. DECHENT

Keyword(s):

Visual Motion ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Current Model ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Coherent Motion ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Planum Temporale ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Posterior Cingulate

The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is involved in higher order sensory and sensory-motor integration while the planum temporale/parietal operculum (PT/PO) junction takes part in auditory motion and vestibular processing. Both regions are activated during different types of visual stimulation. Here, we describe the response characteristics of the PCC and PT/PO to basic types of visual motion stimuli of different complexity (complex and simple coherent as well as incoherent motion). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in 10 healthy subjects at 3 Tesla, whereby different moving dot stimuli (vertical, horizontal, rotational, radial, and random) were contrasted against a static dot pattern. All motion stimuli activated a distributed cortical network, including previously described motion-sensitive striate and extrastriate visual areas. Bilateral activations in the dorsal region of the PCC (dPCC) were evoked using coherent motion stimuli, irrespective of motion direction (vertical, horizontal, rotational, radial) with increasing activity and with higher complexity of the stimulus. In contrast, the PT/PO responded equally well to all of the different coherent motion types. Incoherent (random) motion yielded significantly less activation both in the dPCC and in the PT/PO area. These results suggest that the dPCC and the PT/PO take part in the processing of basic types of visual motion. However, in dPCC a possible effect of attentional modulation resulting in the higher activity evoked by the complex stimuli should also be considered. Further studies are warranted to incorporate these regions into the current model of the cortical motion processing network.

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Monkey EEG links neuronal color and motion information across species and scales

10.1101/534990 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Florian Sandhaeger ◽

Constantin von Nicolai ◽

Earl K Miller ◽

Markus Siegel

Keyword(s):

Visual Processing ◽

Animal Studies ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Color Information ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Source Level ◽

Random Dot Patterns ◽

Level Analysis

AbstractIt remains challenging to relate EEG and MEG to underlying circuit processes and comparable experiments on both spatial scales are rare. To close this gap between invasive and non-invasive electrophysiology we developed and recorded human-comparable EEG in macaque monkeys during visual stimulation with colored dynamic random dot patterns. Furthermore, we performed simultaneous microelectrode recordings from 6 areas of macaque cortex and human MEG. Motion direction and color information were accessible in all signal types. Tuning of the non-invasive signals was similar to V4 and IT, but not to dorsal and frontal areas. Thus, MEG and EEG were dominated by early visual and ventral stream sources. Source level analysis revealed corresponding information and latency gradients across the cortex. We show how information-based methods and monkey EEG can identify analogous properties of visual processing in signals spanning spatial scales from single units to MEG – a valuable framework for relating human and animal studies.

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Monkey EEG links neuronal color and motion information across species and scales

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.45645 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Florian Sandhaeger ◽

Constantin von Nicolai ◽

Earl K Miller ◽

Markus Siegel

Keyword(s):

Visual Processing ◽

Animal Studies ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Color Information ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Source Level ◽

Random Dot Patterns ◽

Level Analysis

It remains challenging to relate EEG and MEG to underlying circuit processes and comparable experiments on both spatial scales are rare. To close this gap between invasive and non-invasive electrophysiology we developed and recorded human-comparable EEG in macaque monkeys during visual stimulation with colored dynamic random dot patterns. Furthermore, we performed simultaneous microelectrode recordings from 6 areas of macaque cortex and human MEG. Motion direction and color information were accessible in all signals. Tuning of the non-invasive signals was similar to V4 and IT, but not to dorsal and frontal areas. Thus, MEG and EEG were dominated by early visual and ventral stream sources. Source level analysis revealed corresponding information and latency gradients across cortex. We show how information-based methods and monkey EEG can identify analogous properties of visual processing in signals spanning spatial scales from single units to MEG – a valuable framework for relating human and animal studies.

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Effect of feature-selective attention on neuronal responses in macaque area MT

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.01042.2010 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 1530-1543 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

X. Chen ◽

K.-P. Hoffmann ◽

T. D. Albright ◽

A. Thiele

Keyword(s):

Selective Attention ◽

Firing Rate ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Sine Wave ◽

Stimulus Dimension ◽

Extrastriate Cortex ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Area Mt ◽

Mt Neurons ◽

Feature Based

Attention influences visual processing in striate and extrastriate cortex, which has been extensively studied for spatial-, object-, and feature-based attention. Most studies exploring neural signatures of feature-based attention have trained animals to attend to an object identified by a certain feature and ignore objects/displays identified by a different feature. Little is known about the effects of feature-selective attention, where subjects attend to one stimulus feature domain (e.g., color) of an object while features from different domains (e.g., direction of motion) of the same object are ignored. To study this type of feature-selective attention in area MT in the middle temporal sulcus, we trained macaque monkeys to either attend to and report the direction of motion of a moving sine wave grating (a feature for which MT neurons display strong selectivity) or attend to and report its color (a feature for which MT neurons have very limited selectivity). We hypothesized that neurons would upregulate their firing rate during attend-direction conditions compared with attend-color conditions. We found that feature-selective attention significantly affected 22% of MT neurons. Contrary to our hypothesis, these neurons did not necessarily increase firing rate when animals attended to direction of motion but fell into one of two classes. In one class, attention to color increased the gain of stimulus-induced responses compared with attend-direction conditions. The other class displayed the opposite effects. Feature-selective activity modulations occurred earlier in neurons modulated by attention to color compared with neurons modulated by attention to motion direction. Thus feature-selective attention influences neuronal processing in macaque area MT but often exhibited a mismatch between the preferred stimulus dimension (direction of motion) and the preferred attention dimension (attention to color).

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