Graded Functional Activation in the Visuospatial System with the Amount of Task Demand

Two studies examined how the amount and type of computational demand are related to fMRI-measured activation in three bilateral cortical regions involved in the Shepard-Metzler (1971) mental-rotation paradigm. The amount of demand for the computation of visuospatial coordinates was manipulated by presenting mental rotation problems with increasing angular disparity (0, 40, 80, or 120°). Activation in both the left and right intraparietal sulcal regions increased linearly with angular disparity in two separate studies. Activation also occurred in the fusiform gyrus and inferior temporal regions, regions that are primarily associated with the processes of object and object-part identification. By contrast, the demand for object recognition and rotation processes was relatively low, and the demand for executing saccades was high in a control condition that required making a systematic visual scan of two grids. The grid-scanning condition resulted in relatively less activation in the parietal and inferior temporal regions but considerable activation in frontal areas that are associated with planning and executing saccades, including the precentral gyrus and sulcus into the posterior middle frontal region. These data suggest that the amount of activation in the various cortical regions that support visuospatial processing is related to the amount, as well as to the type, of computational demand.

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Dissociating the effects of angular disparity and image similarity in mental rotation and object recognition

Cognition ◽

10.1016/j.cognition.2009.07.008 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 113 (1) ◽

pp. 128-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Olivia S. Cheung ◽

William G. Hayward ◽

Isabel Gauthier

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Mental Rotation ◽

Image Similarity ◽

Angular Disparity

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Cortical plasticity for visuospatial processing and object recognition in deaf and hearing signers

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.12.031 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 661-672 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jill Weisberg ◽

Daniel S. Koo ◽

Kelly L. Crain ◽

Guinevere F. Eden

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Cortical Plasticity ◽

Visuospatial Processing

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GABA Levels in Left and Right Sensorimotor Cortex Correlate across Individuals

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines6030080 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 80 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nicolaas Puts ◽

Stefanie Heba ◽

Ashley Harris ◽

Christopher Evans ◽

David McGonigle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensorimotor Cortex ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Gaba Level ◽

Tissue Composition ◽

Mr Images ◽

Left And Right ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Cortical Regions ◽

Bulk Tissue

Differences in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels measured with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy have been shown to correlate with behavioral performance over a number of tasks and cortical regions. These correlations appear to be regionally and functionally specific. In this study, we test the hypothesis that GABA levels will be correlated within individuals for functionally related regions—the left and right sensorimotor cortex. In addition, we investigate whether this is driven by bulk tissue composition. GABA measurements using edited MRS data were acquired from the left and right sensorimotor cortex in 24 participants. T1-weighted MR images were also acquired and segmented to determine the tissue composition of the voxel. GABA level is shown to correlate significantly between the left and right regions (r = 0.64, p < 0.03). Tissue composition is highly correlated between sides, but does not explain significant variance in the bilateral correlation. In conclusion, individual differences in GABA level, which have previously been described as functionally and regionally specific, are correlated between homologous sensorimotor regions. This correlation is not driven by bulk differences in voxel tissue composition.

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Identifying Rate-Limiting Nodes in Large-Scale Cortical Networks for Visuospatial Processing: An Illustration using fMRI

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/08989290152001943 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 537-545 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

V. W. K. Ng ◽

E. T. Bullmore ◽

G. I. de Zubicaray ◽

A. Cooper ◽

J. Suckling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Rotation ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Permutation Test ◽

Line Orientation ◽

Extrastriate Cortex ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Functional Neuroanatomy ◽

Visuospatial Processing ◽

Baseline Conditions ◽

Rate Limiting

With the advent of functional neuroimaging techniques, in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we have gained greater insight into the neural correlates of visuospatial function. However, it may not always be easy to identify the cerebral regions most specifically associated with performance on a given task. One approach is to examine the quantitative relationships between regional activation and behavioral performance measures. In the present study, we investigated the functional neuroanatomy of two different visuospatial processing tasks, judgement of line orientation and mental rotation Twenty-four normal participants were scanned with fMRI using blocked periodic designs for experimental task presentation. Accuracy and reaction time (RT) to each trial of both activation and baseline conditions in each experiment was recorded. Both experiments activated dorsal and ventral visual cortical areas as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. More regionally specific associations with task performance were identified by estimating the association between (sinusoidal) power of functional response and mean RT to the activation condition; a permutation test based on spatial statistics was used for inference. There was significant behavioral-physiological association in right ventral extrastriate cortex for the line orientation task and in bilateral (predominantly right) superior parietal lobule for the mental rotation task. Comparable associations were not found between power of response and RT to the baseline conditions of the tasks. These data suggest that one region in a neurocognitive network may be most strongly associated with behavioral performance and this may be regarded as the computationally least efficient or rate-limiting node of the network.

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Mirror Image Reversal: Is what we See what we Present?

Perception ◽

10.1068/p220869 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 22 (7) ◽

pp. 869-876 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Reg C Morris

Keyword(s):

Mental Rotation ◽

Mirror Image ◽

Object Image ◽

Physical Explanation ◽

Image Match ◽

Multiple Factors ◽

Left And Right ◽

Image Reversal

Many psychological explanations have been advanced to explain left—right reversal in mirror images, but Gregory and Haig have each proposed a physical explanation for the reversal: the first is based upon the physical rotation used to present the surface of the object to the mirror, and the second on the classical optics of reflection. These physical explanations are considered together with an explanation based on object symmetry. The apparent reversal of directional coordinates (eg left and right) that occurs in the mirror images of most objects is distinguished from reversals achieved by physical or mental rotation. It is also distinguished from the object—image match that can be achieved by mental or physical rotation of some symmetrical objects. It is concluded that the left—right reversal is not specifically optical, but is determined by multiple factors, including object symmetry, the conventional and gravitational positioning of top and bottom and back and front, and our greater familiarity with right—left than with top—bottom or back—front reversals.

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Cortical regions associated with different aspects of object recognition performance

Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3758/cabn.4.3.364 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 364-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jane E. Joseph ◽

Alison B. Farley

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Cortical Regions

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Mental rotation of sequentially presented 3D figures: sex and sex hormones related differences in behavioural and ERP measures

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-55433-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ramune Griksiene ◽

Aurina Arnatkeviciute ◽

Rasa Monciunskaite ◽

Thomas Koenig ◽

Osvaldas Ruksenas

Keyword(s):

Response Time ◽

Mental Rotation ◽

Sex Hormones ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Global Field Power ◽

Angular Disparity ◽

3D Objects ◽

Performance Accuracy ◽

Related Potentials

AbstractMental rotation of 3D objects demonstrates one of the largest sex differences. We investigated sex and sex hormones-related differences in behaviour and event related potentials (ERP) using a modified Shepard and Metzler task composed of sequentially presented 3D figures in 29 men and 32 women. We demonstrated a significant increase in response time and decrease in both accuracy and positivity of the parietal ERP with increasing angular disparity between the figures. Higher angular disparity evoked an increase of global field power (GFP) from 270 to 460 ms and different activation topographies from 470 to 583 ms with lower parietal, but higher left frontal positivity. Flatter slopes in higher angular disparity condition suggest distinct strategies being implemented depending on the difficulty of the rotation. Men performed the task more accurately than women. Performance accuracy in women tended to be negatively related to estradiol while the response time tended to increase with increasing progesterone. There were no associations with testosterone. Women demonstrated higher GFP and an increased positivity over the parietal scalp area, while men showed higher activation in the left frontal cortex. Together these findings indicate dynamic angular disparity- and sex-related differences in brain activity during mental rotation of 3D figures.

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