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Form representation in monkey inferotemporal cortex is virtually unaltered by free viewing

Nature Neuroscience volume 3, pages 814–821 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

How are objects represented in the brain during natural behavior? Visual object recognition in primates is thought to depend on the inferotemporal cortex (IT). In most neurophysiological studies of IT, monkeys hold their direction of gaze fixed while isolated visual stimuli are presented (controlled viewing). However, during natural behavior, primates visually explore cluttered environments by changing gaze direction several times each second (free viewing). We examined the effect of free viewing on IT neuronal responses in monkeys engaged in a form-recognition task. By making small, real-time stimulus adjustments, we produced nearly identically retinal stimulation during controlled and free viewing. Nearly 90% of neuronal responses were unaffected by free viewing, and average stimulus selectivity was unchanged. Thus, neuronal representations that likely underlie form recognition are virtually unaltered by free viewing.

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Figure 1: Visual stimuli and recognition task.
Figure 2: The four main task conditions.
Figure 3: Task differences in gaze behavior and control of retinal stimulation.
Figure 4: Response of a target-selective IT neuron to each target stimulus in each task condition.
Figure 5: Effect of viewing condition on single neuronal responses.
Figure 6: Average target-sensitivity functions during controlled and free viewing.
Figure 7: Time course of the average response during controlled and free viewing.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Boudreau, E. Cook, G. Ghose, and T. Yang for discussions on design, analysis and presentation, and D. Murray for animal husbandry. We also thank K. Johnson and D. Sparks for comments on a previous version of this manuscript. This work was supported by NIH EY05911. J.H.R.M. is an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, S603, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    James J. DiCarlo & John H. R. Maunsell

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Correspondence to James J. DiCarlo.

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DiCarlo, J., Maunsell, J. Form representation in monkey inferotemporal cortex is virtually unaltered by free viewing. Nat Neurosci 3, 814–821 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/77722

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