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Processing of Coherent Visual Motion in Topographically Organized Visual Areas in Human Cerebral Cortex

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Abstract

Recent imaging studies in human subjects have demonstrated representations of global visual motion in medial parieto-occipital cortex (area V6) and posterior parietal cortex, the latter containing at least seven topographically organized areas along the intraparietal sulcus (IPS0–IPS5, SPL1). In this fMRI study we used topographic mapping procedures to delineate a total of 18 visual areas in human cerebral cortex and tested their responsiveness to coherent visual motion under conditions of controlled attention and fixation. Preferences for coherent visual motion as compared to motion noise as well as hemispheric asymmetries were assessed for contralateral, ipsilateral, and bilateral visual motion presentations. Except for areas V1–V4 and IPS3-5, all other areas showed stronger responses to coherent motion with the most significant activations found in V6, followed by MT/MST, V3A, IPS0-2 and SPL1. Hemispheric differences were negligible altogether suggesting that asymmetries in parietal cortex observed in cognitive tasks do not reflect differences in basic visual response properties. Interestingly, areas V6, MST, V3A, and areas along the intraparietal sulcus showed specific representations of coherent visual motion not only when presented in the hemifield primarily covered by the given visual representation but also when presented in the ipsilateral visual field. This finding suggests that coherent motion induces a switch in spatial representation in specialized motion areas from contralateral to full-field coding.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BOLD:

blood oxygen level-dependent

EPI:

Echo planar imaging

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

IPS:

Intraparietal sulcus

LOS/LOC:

Lateral occipital sulcus/complex

MST:

Medial superior temporal area

MT:

Middle temporal area

MT+ complex:

Middle temporal complex

pITS:

Posterior part of the inferior temporal sulcus

POIPS:

Parieto-occipital intraparietal sulcus

PSC:

Percent signal change

ROI:

Region of interest

SPL:

Superior parietal lobe

TOS:

Transverse occipital sulcus

VIP:

Ventral intraparietal area

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Rüdiger Berndt and especially Dr. Friedemann Bunjes for their technical assistance. We thank M.B. Wall for his initial remarks on the retinotopic mapping analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Randolph F. Helfrich & Thomas Haarmeier

  2. Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Randolph F. Helfrich & Hubertus G.T. Becker

  3. Department of General Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Randolph F. Helfrich & Hubertus G.T. Becker

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  1. Randolph F. Helfrich
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  2. Hubertus G.T. Becker
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Correspondence to Thomas Haarmeier.

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Helfrich, R.F., Becker, H.G. & Haarmeier, T. Processing of Coherent Visual Motion in Topographically Organized Visual Areas in Human Cerebral Cortex. Brain Topogr 26, 247–263 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-012-0226-1

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