Eccentricity bias as an organizing principle for human high-order object areas
Open accessAbstract
We have recently proposed a center-periphery organization based on resolution needs, in which objects engaging in recognition processes requiring central-vision (e.g., face-related) are associated with center-biased representations, while objects requiring large-scale feature integration (e.g., buildings) are associated with periphery-biased representations. Here we tested this hypothesis by comparing the center-periphery organization with activations to five object categories: faces, buildings, tools, letter strings, and words. We found that faces, letter strings, and words were mapped preferentially within the center-biased representation. Faces showed a hemispheric lateralization opposite to that of letter strings and words. In contrast, buildings were mapped mainly to the periphery-biased representation, while tools activated both central and peripheral representations. The results are compatible with the notion that center-periphery organization allows the optimal allocation of cortical magnification to the specific requirements of various recognition processes.
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The density of neurons activated during reading probably varies continuously, though nonrandomly, across the surface of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex, thus creating a landscape of local preference for various categories of objects.
“Rather, the density of neurons activated during reading probably varies continuously, though nonrandomly, across the surface of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex, thus creating a landscape of local preference for various categories of objects (Hasson et al., 2002; Haxby et al., 2001).”
From Specialization within the ventral stream: the case for the visual word form area (2004) · cites this paper as Hasson et al., 2002
Hasson et al. (2002) found a site with greater responsivity to words than to either faces or buildings in the left occipitotemporal sulcus, lateral to face- and building-related activations.
“Hasson et al. (2002) also used fMRI to contrast activations to words, houses, and faces. Again, a site with greater responsivity to words than to either faces or buildings was found in the left occipitotemporal sulcus, lateral to face- and building-related activations.”
From Specialization within the ventral stream: the case for the visual word form area (2004) · cites this paper as Hasson et al. (2002)
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- Authors
- Hasson, U., Levy, I., Behrmann, M., Hendler, T., & Malach, R.
- Affiliations
- Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- Tel Aviv University (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Malach, Rafael
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2002-04
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 479-490
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2126142381
- Cited by
- 578
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 6.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- KiltHub Repository (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- KiltHub Repository
- Funders
- Israel Science Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Keywords
- visual cortex, face processing, buildings, tools, letter strings, word recognition, hemispheric lateralization, cortical magnification, object recognition, feature integration
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Auditory Perception, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Humans, Language, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Visual Perception
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