Untangling the animacy organization of occipitotemporal cortex

Previous studies have provided evidence for a tool-selective region in left lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC). This region responds selectively to pictures of tools and to characteristic visual tool motion. The present human fMRI study tested whether visual experience is required for the development of tool-selective responses in left LOTC. Words referring to tools, animals, and nonmanipulable objects were presented auditorily to 14 congenitally blind and 16 sighted participants. Sighted participants additionally viewed pictures of these objects. In whole-brain group analyses, sighted participants showed tool-selective activity in left LOTC in both visual and auditory tasks. Importantly, virtually identical tool-selective LOTC activity was found in the congenitally blind group performing the auditory task. Furthermore, both groups showed equally strong tool-selective activity for auditory stimuli in a tool-selective LOTC region defined by the picture-viewing task in the sighted group. Detailed analyses in individual participants showed significant tool-selective LOTC activity in 13 of 14 blind participants and 14 of 16 sighted participants. The strength and anatomical location of this activity were indistinguishable across groups. Finally, both blind and sighted groups showed significant resting state functional connectivity between left LOTC and a bilateral frontoparietal network. Together, these results indicate that tool-selective activity in left LOTC develops without ever having seen a tool or its motion. This finding puts constraints on the possible role that this region could have in tool processing and, more generally, provides new insights into the principles shaping the functional organization of OTC.

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The roles of occipitotemporal cortex in reading, spelling, and naming

Cognitive Neuropsychology ◽

10.1080/02643294.2014.884060 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 31 (5-6) ◽

pp. 511-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Rajani Sebastian ◽

Yessenia Gomez ◽

Richard Leigh ◽

Cameron Davis ◽

Melissa Newhart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Occipitotemporal Cortex

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Implicit Motor Imagery and the Lateral Occipitotemporal Cortex: Hints for Tailoring Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17165851 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (16) ◽

pp. 5851 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Massimiliano Conson ◽

Roberta Cecere ◽

Chiara Baiano ◽

Francesco De Bellis ◽

Gabriela Forgione ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Imagery ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Dominant Hand ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

Left And Right ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

Biomechanical Effect ◽

Motor Representations

Background: Recent evidence has converged in showing that the lateral occipitotemporal cortex is over-recruited during implicit motor imagery in elderly and in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. These data suggest that when automatically imaging movements, individuals exploit neural resources in the visual areas to compensate for the decline in activating motor representations. Thus, the occipitotemporal cortex could represent a cortical target of non-invasive brain stimulation combined with cognitive training to enhance motor imagery performance. Here, we aimed at shedding light on the role of the left and right lateral occipitotemporal cortex in implicit motor imagery. Methods: We applied online, high-frequency, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left and right lateral occipitotemporal cortex while healthy right-handers judged the laterality of hand images. Results: With respect to the sham condition, left hemisphere stimulation specifically reduced accuracy in judging the laterality of right-hand images. Instead, the hallmark of motor simulation, i.e., the biomechanical effect, was never influenced by rTMS. Conclusions: The lateral occipitotemporal cortex seems to be involved in mental representation of the dominant hand, at least in right-handers, but not in reactivating sensorimotor information during simulation. These findings provide useful hints for developing combined brain stimulation and behavioural trainings to improve motor imagery.

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Developmental Trajectories of Letter and Speech Sound Integration During Reading Acquisition

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750491 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Iliana I. Karipidis ◽

Georgette Pleisch ◽

Sarah V. Di Pietro ◽

Gorka Fraga-González ◽

Silvia Brem

Keyword(s):

Reading Fluency ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Reading Acquisition ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

First Grade ◽

Audiovisual Integration ◽

Reading Outcomes ◽

Audiovisual Processing ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex

Reading acquisition in alphabetic languages starts with learning the associations between speech sounds and letters. This learning process is related to crucial developmental changes of brain regions that serve visual, auditory, multisensory integration, and higher cognitive processes. Here, we studied the development of audiovisual processing and integration of letter-speech sound pairs with an audiovisual target detection functional MRI paradigm. Using a longitudinal approach, we tested children with varying reading outcomes before the start of reading acquisition (T1, 6.5 yo), in first grade (T2, 7.5 yo), and in second grade (T3, 8.5 yo). Early audiovisual integration effects were characterized by higher activation for incongruent than congruent letter-speech sound pairs in the inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Audiovisual processing in the left superior temporal gyrus significantly increased from the prereading (T1) to early reading stages (T2, T3). Region of interest analyses revealed that activation in left superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex increased in children with typical reading fluency skills, while poor readers did not show the same development in these regions. The incongruency effect bilaterally in parts of the STG and insular cortex at T1 was significantly associated with reading fluency skills at T3. These findings provide new insights into the development of the brain circuitry involved in audiovisual processing of letters, the building blocks of words, and reveal early markers of audiovisual integration that may be predictive of reading outcomes.

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Developmental changes in connectivity between the amygdala subnuclei and occipitotemporal cortex

10.1101/636894 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Heather A. Hansen ◽

Zeynep M. Saygin

Keyword(s):

Emotional Processing ◽

Developmental Differences ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Functional Regions ◽

Functional Maturation ◽

Basal Amygdala ◽

The Mean ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

Visual Cortical

AbstractThe amygdala, a subcortical structure known for social and emotional processing, can be subdivided into multiple nuclei with unique functions and connectivity patterns. Tracer studies in adult macaques have shown that the lateral and basal amygdala subnuclei decrease in connectivity to visual cortical areas moving from anterior to posterior, and that infants have similar adult-like projections plus additional connections that are refined with development. Can we delineate the connectivity between the amygdala subnuclei and occipitotemporal cortex in humans, and will it show similar developmental differences as macaques? If so, what functional regions may be contributing to this pattern of connectivity? To address these questions, we anatomically defined the lateral and basal amygdala subnuclei in 20 adult subjects, 27 kids (aged 7-8), and 15 neonates. We then defined the occipitotemporal region in each individual’s native anatomy, and split this entire region into five equal sections from anterior to posterior. We also defined visual functional parcellations in the occipitotemporal cortex (e.g. FFA, PPA) and anatomically defined primary visual cortex (i.e., V1). Using Diffusion Weighted Imaging data, we ran probabilistic tractography with FSL between the amygdala subnuclei as seeds and the occipitotemporal cortical parcellations as targets. Results showed that like macaques, the mean connectivity across subjects to the occipitotemporal cortex significantly decreased on a gradient from anterior to posterior, and that connectivity in kids and neonates was adult-like but became more refined across development. Further, refinement of connectivity to mid and posterior occipitotemporal cortex was largely driven by anterior PPA, LO, and V1, with connectivity to higher order visual areas increasing with age. The functional maturation of these regions may contribute to the continued refinement of these connections, in line with Interactive Specialization hypotheses of brain development.

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Preserved motion processing and visuomotor control in a patient with large bilateral lesions of occipitotemporal cortex

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/8.6.371 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 371-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. A. Goodale ◽

M. E. Wolf ◽

R. L. Whitwell ◽

L. E. Brown ◽

J. S. Cant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visuomotor Control ◽

Motion Processing ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

Bilateral Lesions

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Intraoperative localization and preservation of reading in ventral occipitotemporal cortex

10.1101/2021.11.11.21266202 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Oscar Woolnough ◽

Kathryn M Snyder ◽

Cale W Morse ◽

Meredith J McCarty ◽

Samden D Lhatoo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rapid Assessment ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Word Form ◽

Gamma Activation ◽

Reading Deficits ◽

Visual Word Form Area ◽

Cortical Areas ◽

Eloquent Cortex ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

Intraoperative Localization

Resective surgery in language-dominant ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) carries the risk of causing impairment to reading. As it is not on the lateral surface, it is not easily accessible for intraoperative mapping and extensive stimulation mapping can be time consuming. Here we assess the feasibility of using task-based electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings intraoperatively to help guide stimulation mapping of reading in vOTC. In 11 patients undergoing extraoperative, intracranial seizure mapping we recorded induced broadband gamma activation (70 - 150 Hz) during a visual category localizer. Word-responsive cortex localized in this manner showed a high sensitivity (72%) to stimulation-induced reading deficits, and the confluence of ECoG and stimulation positive sites appears to demarcate the visual word form area. In two additional patients, with pathologies necessitating resections in language-dominant vOTC, task-based functional mapping was performed intraoperatively using subdural ECoG, alongside direct cortical stimulation. Cortical areas critical for reading were mapped and successfully preserved, while enabling pathological tissue to be completely removed. Data collection is possible in <3 minutes and initial intraoperative data analysis takes <3 minutes, allowing for rapid assessment of broad areas of cortex. Eloquent cortex in ventral visual cortex can be rapidly mapped intraoperatively using ECoG. This method acts to guide high-probability targets for stimulation, with limited patient participation, and can be used to avoid iatrogenic dyslexia following surgery.

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Individual Differences in Face Identity Processing with Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01126 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (8) ◽

pp. 1368-1377 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Buyun Xu ◽

Joan Liu-Shuang ◽

Bruno Rossion ◽

James Tanaka

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

High Reliability ◽

Face Identity ◽

Growing Body ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

The Right ◽

Open Question ◽

Identity Processing ◽

Identity Task

A growing body of literature suggests that human individuals differ in their ability to process face identity. These findings mainly stem from explicit behavioral tasks, such as the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). However, it remains an open question whether such individual differences can be found in the absence of an explicit face identity task and when faces have to be individualized at a single glance. In the current study, we tested 49 participants with a recently developed fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm [Liu-Shuang, J., Norcia, A. M., & Rossion, B. An objective index of individual face discrimination in the right occipitotemporal cortex by means of fast periodic oddball stimulation. Neuropsychologia, 52, 57–72, 2014] in EEG to rapidly, objectively, and implicitly quantify face identity processing. In the FPVS paradigm, one face identity (A) was presented at the frequency of 6 Hz, allowing only one gaze fixation, with different face identities (B, C, D) presented every fifth face (1.2 Hz; i.e., AAAABAAAACAAAAD…). Results showed a face individuation response at 1.2 Hz and its harmonics, peaking over occipitotemporal locations. The magnitude of this response showed high reliability across different recording sequences and was significant in all but two participants, with the magnitude and lateralization differing widely across participants. There was a modest but significant correlation between the individuation response amplitude and the performance of the behavioral CFMT task, despite the fact that CFMT and FPVS measured different aspects of face identity processing. Taken together, the current study highlights the FPVS approach as a promising means for studying individual differences in face identity processing.

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Time-resolved neural reinstatement and pattern separation during memory decisions in human hippocampus

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1717088115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (31) ◽

pp. E7418-E7427 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Lynn J. Lohnas ◽

Katherine Duncan ◽

Werner K. Doyle ◽

Thomas Thesen ◽

Orrin Devinsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Pattern Separation ◽

Time Resolved ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Human Hippocampus ◽

Hippocampal Activity ◽

High Frequency Activity ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex

Mnemonic decision-making has long been hypothesized to rely on hippocampal dynamics that bias memory processing toward the formation of new memories or the retrieval of old ones. Successful memory encoding may be best optimized by pattern separation, whereby two highly similar experiences can be represented by underlying neural populations in an orthogonal manner. By contrast, successful memory retrieval is thought to be supported by a recovery of the same neural pattern laid down during encoding. Here we examined how hippocampal pattern completion and separation emerge over time during memory decisions. We measured electrocorticography activity in the human hippocampus and posterior occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) while participants performed continuous recognition of items that were new, repeated (old), or highly similar to a prior item (similar). During retrieval decisions of old items, both regions exhibited significant reinstatement of multivariate high-frequency activity (HFA) associated with encoding. Further, the extent of reinstatement of encoding patterns during retrieval was correlated with the strength (HFA power) of hippocampal encoding. Evidence for encoding pattern reinstatement was also seen in OTC on trials requiring fine-grained discrimination of similar items. By contrast, hippocampal activity showed evidence for pattern separation during these trials. Together, these results underscore the critical role of the hippocampus in supporting both reinstatement of overlapping information and separation of similar events.

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Converging evidence for functional and structural segregation within the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex in reading

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1803003115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (42) ◽

pp. E9981-E9990 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Garikoitz Lerma-Usabiaga ◽

Manuel Carreiras ◽

Pedro M. Paz-Alonso

Keyword(s):

Rapid Identification ◽

Quantitative Mri ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Multimodal Approach ◽

Functional Responses ◽

Visual Patterns ◽

Word Forms ◽

Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽

Posterior Area ◽

Language Network

The ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) is crucial for recognizing visual patterns, and previous evidence suggests that there may be different subregions within the vOTC involved in the rapid identification of word forms. Here, we characterize vOTC reading circuitry using a multimodal approach combining functional, structural, and quantitative MRI and behavioral data. Two main word-responsive vOTC areas emerged: a posterior area involved in visual feature extraction, structurally connected to the intraparietal sulcus via the vertical occipital fasciculus; and an anterior area involved in integrating information with other regions of the language network, structurally connected to the angular gyrus via the posterior arcuate fasciculus. Furthermore, functional activation in these vOTC regions predicted reading behavior outside of the scanner. Differences in the microarchitectonic properties of gray-matter cells in these segregated areas were also observed, in line with earlier cytoarchitectonic evidence. These findings advance our understanding of the vOTC circuitry by linking functional responses to anatomical structure, revealing the pathways of distinct reading-related processes.

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