Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices
Visual categorization is an essential perceptual and cognitive process for assigning behavioral significance to incoming stimuli. Categorization depends on sensory processing of stimulus features as well as flexible cognitive processing for classifying stimuli according to the current behavioral con...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Society for Neuroscience
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97152 |
| _version_ | 1826216219038973952 |
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| author | McKee, Jillian L. Riesenhuber, Maximilian Miller, Earl K. Freedman, David J. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences McKee, Jillian L. Riesenhuber, Maximilian Miller, Earl K. Freedman, David J. |
| author_sort | McKee, Jillian L. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Visual categorization is an essential perceptual and cognitive process for assigning behavioral significance to incoming stimuli. Categorization depends on sensory processing of stimulus features as well as flexible cognitive processing for classifying stimuli according to the current behavioral context. Neurophysiological studies suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the inferior temporal cortex (ITC) are involved in visual shape categorization. However, their precise roles in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process are unclear, as the two areas have not been directly compared during changing task contexts. To address this, we examined the impact of task relevance on categorization-related activity in PFC and ITC by recording from both areas as monkeys alternated between a shape categorization and passive viewing tasks. As monkeys viewed the same stimuli in both tasks, the impact of task relevance on encoding in each area could be compared. While both areas showed task-dependent modulations of neuronal activity, the patterns of results differed markedly. PFC, but not ITC, neurons showed a modest increase in firing rates when stimuli were task relevant. PFC also showed significantly stronger category selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing, while task-dependent modulations of category selectivity in ITC were weak and occurred with a long latency. Finally, both areas showed an enhancement of stimulus selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing. Together, this suggests that the ITC and PFC show differing degrees of task-dependent flexibility and are preferentially involved in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:44:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/97152 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:44:12Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Society for Neuroscience |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/971522022-09-29T21:05:44Z Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices McKee, Jillian L. Riesenhuber, Maximilian Miller, Earl K. Freedman, David J. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Picower Institute for Learning and Memory Miller, Earl K. Visual categorization is an essential perceptual and cognitive process for assigning behavioral significance to incoming stimuli. Categorization depends on sensory processing of stimulus features as well as flexible cognitive processing for classifying stimuli according to the current behavioral context. Neurophysiological studies suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the inferior temporal cortex (ITC) are involved in visual shape categorization. However, their precise roles in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process are unclear, as the two areas have not been directly compared during changing task contexts. To address this, we examined the impact of task relevance on categorization-related activity in PFC and ITC by recording from both areas as monkeys alternated between a shape categorization and passive viewing tasks. As monkeys viewed the same stimuli in both tasks, the impact of task relevance on encoding in each area could be compared. While both areas showed task-dependent modulations of neuronal activity, the patterns of results differed markedly. PFC, but not ITC, neurons showed a modest increase in firing rates when stimuli were task relevant. PFC also showed significantly stronger category selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing, while task-dependent modulations of category selectivity in ITC were weak and occurred with a long latency. Finally, both areas showed an enhancement of stimulus selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing. Together, this suggests that the ITC and PFC show differing degrees of task-dependent flexibility and are preferentially involved in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process, respectively. National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (5R01MH065252-12) Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Fellowship) McKnight Foundation (McKnight Scholar award) 2015-06-02T16:19:10Z 2015-06-02T16:19:10Z 2014-11 2014-09 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0270-6474 1529-2401 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97152 McKee, J. L., M. Riesenhuber, E. K. Miller, and D. J. Freedman. “Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices.” Journal of Neuroscience 34, no. 48 (November 26, 2014): 16065–16075. en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1660-14.2014 Journal of Neuroscience Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Society for Neuroscience Society for Neuroscience |
| spellingShingle | McKee, Jillian L. Riesenhuber, Maximilian Miller, Earl K. Freedman, David J. Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title | Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title_full | Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title_fullStr | Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title_short | Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices |
| title_sort | task dependence of visual and category representations in prefrontal and inferior temporal cortices |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97152 |
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