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Responses of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area to central visual cues

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Abstract

Goal-directed behavior is characterized by flexible stimulus-action mappings. The lateral intraparietal area (area LIP) contains a representation of extra-personal space that is used to guide goal-directed behavior. To examine further how area LIP contributes to these flexible stimulus-action mappings, we recorded LIP activity while rhesus monkeys participated in two different cueing tasks. In the first task, the color of a central light indicated the location of a monkey’s saccadic endpoint in the absence of any other visual stimuli. In the second task, the color of a central light indicated which of two visual targets was the saccadic goal. In both tasks, LIP activity was modulated by these non-spatial cues. These observations further suggest a role for area LIP in mediating endogenous associations that link stimuli with actions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank K. Strayer-Benton for help with data collection, K. MacLean for help with training and data collection, L. Snyder and H. Hersh for helpful discussions and comments on previous versions of the manuscript, T. Laroche for assistance with MRI, and A. Underhill for her exceptional technical support. YEC was supported by grants from the Whitehall Foundation, NIH, and a Burke Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, 6207 Moore, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Brian E. Russ, Amy M. Kim, Karilyn L. Abrahamsen, Ruwan Kiringoda & Yale E. Cohen

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  1. Brian E. Russ
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  2. Amy M. Kim
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  3. Karilyn L. Abrahamsen
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Correspondence to Yale E. Cohen.

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Russ, B.E., Kim, A.M., Abrahamsen, K.L. et al. Responses of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area to central visual cues. Exp Brain Res 174, 712–727 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0514-7

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