Large-scale mirror-symmetry organization of human occipito-temporal object areas
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We have combined functional maps of retinotopy (eccentricity and meridian mapping), object category, and motion in a group of subjects to explore the large-scale topography of higher-order object areas. Our results reveal seven consistent category-related entities situated in the occipito-temporal cortex adjoining early visual areas. These include two face-related regions, three object-related regions, and two building-related regions. Interestingly, this complex category-related pattern is organized in a large-scale dorso-ventral mirror symmetry of object category. Furthermore, correlating this pattern to the map of visual field eccentricity, we found that the entire network of areas could be related to a single and unified eccentricity map. We hypothesize that this large-scale organization points to a possible development of high-order object areas through extension and specialization of a single proto-representation.
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Several areas specialized for other classes of visual stimuli such as faces, places, or body parts have been identified in the human ventral visual stream.
“The VWFA hypothesis was framed in the broader context of recent studies of functional specialization within the human ventral visual stream, in which have been identified several areas specialized for other classes of visual stimuli such as faces, places, or body parts (Downing et al., 2001; Hasson et al., 2003; Haxby et al., 2001; Kanwisher et al., 1997).”
From Specialization within the ventral stream: the case for the visual word form area (2004) · cites this paper as Hasson et al., 2003
Hasson et al. (2003) suggest that the visual word-related activation always falls at a systematic location at the boundary between object-selective and face-selective regions in a large-scale map of object preference.
“Hasson et al. (2003) suggest that the visual word-related activation always falls at a systematic location at the boundary between object-selective and face-selective regions in a large-scale map of object preference.”
From Specialization within the ventral stream: the case for the visual word form area (2004) · cites this paper as Hasson et al. (2003)
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- Authors
- Hasson, U., Harel, M., Levy, I., & Malach, R.
- Affiliations
- Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Malach, Rafael
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-03
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1027-1041
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2129071654
- Cited by
- 336
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 7.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- 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
- occipitotemporal cortex, object recognition, mirror symmetry, retinotopy, retinal eccentricity, face processing, building recognition, motion processing, cortical topography
- MeSH terms
- Brain Mapping, Humans, Functional Laterality, Motion, Occipital Lobe, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Temporal Lobe, Visual Cortex, Visual Fields, Visual Perception
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