Visual Size Processing in Early Visual Cortex Follows Lateral Occipital Cortex Involvement. 2020

Hang Zeng, and Gereon R Fink, and Ralph Weidner
Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52425, Germany h.zeng@fz-juelich.de.

Neural activation in the early visual cortex (EVC) reflects the perceived rather than retinal size of stimuli, suggesting that feedback possibly from extrastriate regions modulates retinal size information in EVC. Meanwhile, the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) has been suggested to be critically involved in object size processing. To test for the potential contributions of feedback modulations on size representations in EVC, we investigated the dynamics of relevant processes using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Specifically, we briefly disrupted the neural activity of EVC and LOC at early, intermediate, and late time windows while participants performed size judgment tasks in either an illusory or neutral context. TMS over EVC and LOC allowed determining whether these two brain regions are relevant for generating phenomenological size impressions. Furthermore, the temporal order of TMS effects allowed inferences on the dynamics of information exchange between the two areas. Particularly, if feedback signals from LOC to EVC are crucial for generating altered size representations in EVC, then TMS effects over EVC should be observed simultaneously or later than the effects following LOC stimulation. The data from 20 humans (13 females) revealed that TMS over both EVC and LOC impaired illusory size perception. However, the strongest effects of TMS applied over EVC occurred later than those of LOC, supporting a functionally relevant feedback modulation from LOC to EVC for scaling size information. Our results suggest that context integration and the concomitant change of perceived size require LOC and result in modulating representations in EVC via recurrent processing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How we perceive an object's size is not entirely determined by its physical size or the size of its retinal representation but also the spatial context. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we investigated the role of the early visual cortex (EVC) and the higher-level visual area, lateral occipital cortex (LOC), known to be critically involved in object processing, in transforming an initial retinal representation into one that reflects perceived size. Transcranial magnetic stimulation altered size perception earlier over LOC compared with EVC, suggesting that context integration and the concomitant change in perceived size representations in EVC rely on feedback from LOC.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009778 Occipital Lobe Posterior portion of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES responsible for processing visual sensory information. It is located posterior to the parieto-occipital sulcus and extends to the preoccipital notch. Annectant Gyrus,Calcarine Fissure,Calcarine Sulcus,Cuneate Lobule,Cuneus,Cuneus Cortex,Cuneus Gyrus,Gyrus Lingualis,Lingual Gyrus,Lunate Sulcus,Medial Occipitotemporal Gyrus,Occipital Cortex,Occipital Gyrus,Occipital Region,Occipital Sulcus,Sulcus Calcarinus,Calcarine Fissures,Calcarinus, Sulcus,Cortex, Cuneus,Cortex, Occipital,Cortices, Cuneus,Cortices, Occipital,Cuneate Lobules,Cuneus Cortices,Fissure, Calcarine,Fissures, Calcarine,Gyrus Linguali,Gyrus, Annectant,Gyrus, Cuneus,Gyrus, Lingual,Gyrus, Medial Occipitotemporal,Gyrus, Occipital,Linguali, Gyrus,Lingualis, Gyrus,Lobe, Occipital,Lobes, Occipital,Lobule, Cuneate,Lobules, Cuneate,Occipital Cortices,Occipital Lobes,Occipital Regions,Occipitotemporal Gyrus, Medial,Region, Occipital,Regions, Occipital,Sulcus, Calcarine,Sulcus, Lunate,Sulcus, Occipital
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D014793 Visual Cortex Area of the OCCIPITAL LOBE concerned with the processing of visual information relayed via VISUAL PATHWAYS. Area V2,Area V3,Area V4,Area V5,Associative Visual Cortex,Brodmann Area 18,Brodmann Area 19,Brodmann's Area 18,Brodmann's Area 19,Cortical Area V2,Cortical Area V3,Cortical Area V4,Cortical Area V5,Secondary Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondary,Visual Cortex V2,Visual Cortex V3,Visual Cortex V3, V4, V5,Visual Cortex V4,Visual Cortex V5,Visual Cortex, Associative,Visual Motion Area,Extrastriate Cortex,Area 18, Brodmann,Area 18, Brodmann's,Area 19, Brodmann,Area 19, Brodmann's,Area V2, Cortical,Area V3, Cortical,Area V4, Cortical,Area V5, Cortical,Area, Visual Motion,Associative Visual Cortices,Brodmanns Area 18,Brodmanns Area 19,Cortex Secondary, Visual,Cortex V2, Visual,Cortex V3, Visual,Cortex, Associative Visual,Cortex, Extrastriate,Cortex, Secondary Visual,Cortex, Visual,Cortical Area V3s,Extrastriate Cortices,Secondary Visual Cortices,V3, Cortical Area,V3, Visual Cortex,V4, Area,V4, Cortical Area,V5, Area,V5, Cortical Area,V5, Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondaries,Visual Cortex, Secondary,Visual Motion Areas
D014796 Visual Perception The selecting and organizing of visual stimuli based on the individual's past experience. Visual Processing,Perception, Visual,Processing, Visual
D050781 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation A technique that involves the use of electrical coils on the head to generate a brief magnetic field which reaches the CEREBRAL CORTEX. It is coupled with ELECTROMYOGRAPHY response detection to assess cortical excitability by the threshold required to induce MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS. This method is also used for BRAIN MAPPING, to study NEUROPHYSIOLOGY, and as a substitute for ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY for treating DEPRESSION. Induction of SEIZURES limits its clinical usage. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Paired Pulse,Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Repetitive,Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Single Pulse,Magnetic Stimulation, Transcranial,Magnetic Stimulations, Transcranial,Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic,Stimulations, Transcranial Magnetic,Transcranial Magnetic Stimulations
D025461 Feedback, Physiological A mechanism of communication with a physiological system for homeostasis, adaptation, etc. Physiological feedback is mediated through extensive feedback mechanisms that use physiological cues as feedback loop signals to control other systems. Feedback, Biochemical,Feedback Inhibition, Biochemical,Feedback Regulation, Biochemical,Feedback Stimulation, Biochemical,Negative Feedback, Biochemical,Positive Feedback, Biochemical,Biochemical Feedback,Biochemical Feedback Inhibition,Biochemical Feedback Inhibitions,Biochemical Feedback Regulation,Biochemical Feedback Regulations,Biochemical Feedback Stimulation,Biochemical Feedback Stimulations,Biochemical Feedbacks,Biochemical Negative Feedback,Biochemical Negative Feedbacks,Biochemical Positive Feedback,Biochemical Positive Feedbacks,Feedback Inhibitions, Biochemical,Feedback Regulations, Biochemical,Feedback Stimulations, Biochemical,Feedback, Biochemical Negative,Feedback, Biochemical Positive,Feedbacks, Biochemical,Feedbacks, Biochemical Negative,Feedbacks, Biochemical Positive,Feedbacks, Physiological,Inhibition, Biochemical Feedback,Inhibitions, Biochemical Feedback,Negative Feedbacks, Biochemical,Physiological Feedback,Physiological Feedbacks,Positive Feedbacks, Biochemical,Regulation, Biochemical Feedback,Regulations, Biochemical Feedback,Stimulation, Biochemical Feedback,Stimulations, Biochemical Feedback
D063132 Connectome A comprehensive map of the physical interconnections of an organism's neural networks. This modular organization of neuronal architecture is believed to underlie disease mechanisms and the biological development of the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Brain Connectomics,Connectome Mapping,Connectomics,Human Connectome,Human Connectome Project,Brain Connectomic,Connectome Mappings,Connectome Project, Human,Connectome Projects, Human,Connectome, Human,Connectomes,Connectomes, Human,Connectomic,Connectomic, Brain,Connectomics, Brain,Human Connectome Projects,Human Connectomes,Mapping, Connectome,Mappings, Connectome

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