The dynamics of cortical interactions in visual recognition of object category: living versus nonliving

Kiyohide Usami, Riki Matsumoto, Anna Korzeniewska, Akihiro Shimotake, Masao Matsuhashi, Takuro Nakae, Takayuki Kikuchi, Kazumichi Yoshida, Takeharu Kunieda, Ryosuke Takahashi, Nathan E. Crone, Akio Ikeda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Noninvasive brain imaging studies have shown that higher visual processing of objects occurs in neural populations that are separable along broad semantic categories, particularly living versus nonliving objects. However, because of their limited temporal resolution, these studies have not been able to determine whether broad semantic categories are also reflected in the dynamics of neural interactions within cortical networks. We investigated the time course of neural propagation among cortical areas activated during object naming in 12 patients implanted with subdural electrode grids prior to epilepsy surgery, with a special focus on the visual recognition phase of the task. Analysis of event-related causality revealed significantly stronger neural propagation among sites within ventral temporal lobe (VTL) at early latencies, around 250 ms, for living objects compared to nonliving objects. Differences in other features, including familiarity, visual complexity, and age of acquisition, did not significantly change the patterns of neural propagation. Our findings suggest that the visual processing of living objects relies on stronger causal interactions among sites within VTL, perhaps reflecting greater integration of visual feature processing. In turn, this may help explain the fragility of naming living objects in neurological diseases affecting VTL.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5740-5750
Number of pages11
JournalCerebral Cortex
Volume33
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2023

Keywords

  • causal interaction
  • event-related causality
  • high-gamma activity
  • picture naming

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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