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Attribute-based neural substrates in temporal cortex for perceiving and knowing about objects

Nature Neuroscience volume 2, pages 913–919 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

The cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying category-specific knowledge remain controversial. Here we report that, across multiple tasks (viewing, delayed match to sample, naming), pictures of animals and tools were associated with highly consistent, category-related patterns of activation in ventral (fusiform gyrus) and lateral (superior and middle temporal gyri) regions of the posterior temporal lobes. In addition, similar patterns of category-related activity occurred when subjects read the names of, and answered questions about, animals and tools. These findings suggest that semantic object information is represented in distributed networks that include sites for storing information about specific object attributes such as form (ventral temporal cortex) and motion (lateral temporal cortex).

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Figure 1: Examples of category-related activations in three representative subjects.
Figure 2: Amplitude and time course of category-related modulation.
Figure 3: Category-related activations during tool and house perception in voxels that responded to both stimuli in the medial fusiform region.
Figure 4: Pictures and words elicit common category-related activations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Leslie Ungerleider for comments and Jill Weisberg and François Lalonde for technical assistance.

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  1. Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Building 10, Room 4C104, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, 20892-1366, Maryland, USA

    Linda L. Chao, James V. Haxby & Alex Martin

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  1. Linda L. Chao
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Correspondence to Alex Martin.

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Chao, L., Haxby, J. & Martin, A. Attribute-based neural substrates in temporal cortex for perceiving and knowing about objects. Nat Neurosci 2, 913–919 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/13217

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