scholarly journals Depth-resolved ultra-high field fMRI reveals feedback contributions to surface motion perception

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Marquardt ◽  
Peter De Weerd ◽  
Marian Schneider ◽  
Omer Faruk Gulban ◽  
Dimo Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Motion Perception ◽  
High Field ◽  
Depth Distribution ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Bold Response ◽  
Ultra High Field ◽  
Surface Motion ◽  
Visual Hemifield ◽  
Early Visual Cortex

AbstractHuman visual surface perception has neural correlates in early visual cortex, but the extent to which feedback contributes to this activity is not well known. Feedback projections preferentially enter superficial and deep anatomical layers, while avoiding the middle layer, which provides a hypothesis for the cortical depth distribution of fMRI activity related to feedback in early visual cortex. Here, we presented human participants uniform surfaces on a dark, textured background. The grey surface in the left hemifield was either perceived as static or moving based on a manipulation in the right hemifield. Physically, the surface was identical in the left visual hemifield, so any difference in percept likely was related to feedback. Using ultra-high field fMRI, we report the first evidence for a depth distribution of activation in line with feedback during the (illusory) perception of surface motion. Our results fit with a signal re-entering in superficial depths of V1, followed by a feedforward sweep of the re-entered information through V2 and V3, as suggested by activity centred in the middle-depth levels of the latter areas. This positive modulation of the BOLD signal due to illusory surface motion was on top of a strong negative BOLD response in the cortical representation of the surface stimuli, which depended on the presence of texture in the background. Hence, the magnitude and sign of the BOLD response to the surface strongly depended on background properties, and was additionally modulated by the presence or absence of illusory motion perception in a manner compatible with feedback. In summary, the present study demonstrates the potential of depth resolved fMRI in tackling biomechanical questions on perception that so far were only within reach of invasive animal experimentation.

scholarly journals Feedback contribution to surface motion perception in the human early visual cortex

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Marquardt ◽  
Peter De Weerd ◽  
Marian Schneider ◽  
Omer Faruk Gulban ◽  
Dimo Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Motion Perception ◽  
Depth Distribution ◽  
Ultra High Field ◽  
Surface Perception ◽  
Surface Motion ◽  
Surface Segmentation ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Illusory Perception

Human visual surface perception has neural correlates in early visual cortex, but the role of feedback during surface segmentation in human early visual cortex remains unknown. Feedback projections preferentially enter superficial and deep anatomical layers, which provides a hypothesis for the cortical depth distribution of fMRI activity related to feedback. Using ultra-high field fMRI, we report a depth distribution of activation in line with feedback during the (illusory) perception of surface motion. Our results fit with a signal re-entering in superficial depths of V1, followed by a feedforward sweep of the re-entered information through V2 and V3. The magnitude and sign of the BOLD response strongly depended on the presence of texture in the background, and was additionally modulated by the presence of illusory motion perception compatible with feedback. In summary, the present study demonstrates the potential of depth-resolved fMRI in tackling biomechanical questions on perception.

scholarly journals Author response: Feedback contribution to surface motion perception in the human early visual cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Marquardt ◽  
Peter De Weerd ◽  
Marian Schneider ◽  
Omer Faruk Gulban ◽  
Dimo Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Motion Perception ◽  
Author Response ◽  
Surface Motion ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Response Feedback

scholarly journals Layer-specific ultra-high field 7T fMRI showing that threat anticipation is mediated by the pulvinar input to the superficial layers of primary visual cortex (V1)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Koizumi ◽  
Minye Zhan ◽  
Hiroshi Ban ◽  
Ikuhiro Kida ◽  
Federico de Martino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
High Field ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Ultra High Field ◽  
Happy Face ◽  
Face Target ◽  
Fearful Face ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
7T Fmri

AbstractThe perceptual system gives priority to threat-relevant signals with survival value. Its mechanism may not only include the processing initiated in the presence of threat signals but also in the mere anticipation of such signals. Here, we show that the pulvinar modulates activity in the early visual cortex (V1) specifically in threat anticipation. Using ultra-high-field 7T fMRI, we examined the layer-specific interaction between V1 and the pulvinar, while taking advantage of the fact that the directionality of such interaction is anatomically constrained in specific V1 layers. Only in anticipation of a fearful face target, but not of a control happy face target, was false perception of anticipated-yet-unpresented target face accompanied by stronger activity in the V1 superficial-cortical-depth (layers 1-3), which was preceded by pre-target-onset pulvinar activity. The pulvinar may contribute to the visual processing initiated in the anticipation of threat, and play an important role in anxiety.

scholarly journals Layer-dependent multiplicative effects of spatial attention on contrast responses in human early visual cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanhua Guo ◽  
Chengwen Liu ◽  
Chencan Qian ◽  
Zihao Zhang ◽  
Kaibao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Additive Effect ◽  
List Type ◽  
Strong Nonlinearity ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Contrast Gain ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Deep Layers

AbstractAttention mechanisms at different cortical layers of human visual cortex remain poorly understood. Using submillimeter-resolution fMRI at 7T, we investigated the effects of top-down spatial attention on the contrast responses across different cortical depths in human early visual cortex. Gradient echo (GE) T2* weighted BOLD signal showed an additive effect of attention on contrast responses across cortical depths. Compared to the middle cortical depth, attention modulation was stronger in the superficial and deep depths of V1, and also stronger in the superficial depth of V2 and V3. Using ultra-high resolution (0.3mm in-plane) balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) fMRI, a multiplicative scaling effect of attention was found in the superficial and deep layers, but not in the middle layer of V1. Attention modulation of low contrast response was strongest in the middle cortical depths, indicating baseline enhancement or contrast gain of attention modulation on feedforward input. Finally, the additive effect of attention on T2* BOLD can be explained by strong nonlinearity of BOLD signals from large blood vessels, suggesting multiplicative effect of attention on neural activity. These findings support that top-down spatial attention mainly operates through feedback connections from higher order cortical areas, and a distinct mechanism of attention may also be associated with feedforward input through subcortical pathway.HighlightsResponse or activity gain of spatial attention in superficial and deep layersContrast gain or baseline shift of attention in V1 middle layerNonlinearity of large blood vessel causes additive effect of attention on T2* BOLD

scholarly journals Ultra-high field imaging of perceptual learning in the human visual cortex

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 186b
Author(s):  
Ke Jia ◽  
Elisa Zamboni ◽  
Nuno Reis Goncalves ◽  
Catarina Rua ◽  
Valentin Kemper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
High Field ◽  
Ultra High Field ◽  
Human Visual Cortex ◽  
High Field Imaging ◽  
Field Imaging

scholarly journals Ultra high-field (7 T) multi-resolution fMRI data for orientation decoding in visual cortex

Data in Brief ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 219-222
Author(s):  
Ayan Sengupta ◽  
Renat Yakupov ◽  
Oliver Speck ◽  
Stefan Pollmann ◽  
Michael Hanke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
High Field ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Ultra High Field

scholarly journals Ultra-high resolution fMRI reveals origins of feedforward and feedback activity within laminae of human ocular dominance columns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles de Hollander ◽  
Wietske van der Zwaag ◽  
Chencan Qian ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Tomas Knapen
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
High Field ◽  
Ocular Dominance ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Ultra High Field ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Ocular Dominance Columns ◽  
Cortical Columns ◽  
Model Free

AbstractUltra-high field MRI can functionally image the cerebral cortex of human subjects at the submillimeter scale of cortical columns and laminae. Here, we investigate both in concert, by, for the first time, imaging ocular dominance columns (ODCs) in primary visual cortex (V1) across different cortical depths. We ensured that putative ODC patterns in V1 (a) are stable across runs, sessions, and scanners located in different continents (b) have a width (∼1.3 mm) expected from post-mortem and animal work and (c) are absent at the retinotopic location of the blind spot. We then dissociated the effects of bottom-up thalamo-cortical input and attentional feedback processes on activity in V1 across cortical depth. Importantly, the separation of bottom-up information flows into ODCs allowed us to validly compare attentional conditions while keeping the stimulus identical throughout the experiment. We find that, when correcting for draining vein effects and using both model-based and model-free approaches, the effect of monocular stimulation is largest at deep and middle cortical depths. Conversely, spatial attention influences BOLD activity exclusively near the pial surface. Our findings show that simultaneous interrogation of columnar and laminar dimensions of the cortical fold can dissociate thalamocortical inputs from top-down processing, and allow the investigation of their interactions without any stimulus manipulation.Significance StatementThe advent of ultra-high field fMRI allows for the study of the human brain non-invasively at submillimeter resolution, bringing the scale of cortical columns and laminae into focus. De Hollander et al imaged the ocular dominance columns and laminae of V1 in concert, while manipulating top-down attention. This allowed them to separate feedforward from feedback processes in the brain itself, without resorting to the manipulation of incoming information. Their results show how feedforward and feedback processes interact in the primary visual cortex, highlighting the different computational roles separate laminae play.

scholarly journals Affective Bias without Hemispheric Competition: Evidence for Independent Processing Resources in Each Cortical Hemisphere

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 963-976
Author(s):  
Valeria Bekhtereva ◽  
Matt Craddock ◽  
Matthias M. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Visual Field ◽  
Visual Evoked Potential ◽  
Evoked Potential ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Visual Hemifield ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Processing Resources ◽  
Visual Evoked

We assessed the extent of neural competition for attentional processing resources in early visual cortex between foveally presented task stimuli and peripheral emotional distracter images. Task-relevant and distracting stimuli were shown in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams to elicit the steady-state visual evoked potential, which serves as an electrophysiological marker of attentional resource allocation in early visual cortex. A task-related RSVP stream of symbolic letters was presented centrally at 15 Hz while distracting RSVP streams were displayed at 4 or 6 Hz in the left and right visual hemifields. These image streams always had neutral content in one visual field and would unpredictably switch from neutral to unpleasant content in the opposite visual field. We found that the steady-state visual evoked potential amplitude was consistently modulated as a function of change in emotional valence in peripheral RSVPs, indicating sensory gain in response to distracting affective content. Importantly, the facilitated processing for emotional content shown in one visual hemifield was not paralleled by any perceptual costs in response to the task-related processing in the center or the neutral image stream in the other visual hemifield. Together, our data provide further evidence for sustained sensory facilitation in favor of emotional distracters. Furthermore, these results are in line with previous reports of a “different hemifield advantage” with low-level visual stimuli and are suggestive of independent processing resources in each cortical hemisphere that operate beyond low-level visual cues, that is, with complex images that impact early stages of visual processing via reentrant feedback loops from higher order processing areas.

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