Subcortical Discrimination of Unperceived Objects during Binocular Rivalry

Subcortical Discrimination of Unperceived Objects during Binocular Rivalry

Rapid identification of behaviorally relevant objects is important for survival. In humans, the neural computations for visually discriminating complex objects involve inferior temporal cortex (IT). However, less detailed but faster form processing may also occur in a phylogenetically older subcorti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2004-04, Vol.42 (1), p.163-172
Main Authors: Pasley, Brian N, Mayes, Linda C, Schultz, Robert T
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Amygdala - physiology
Awareness - physiology
Brain
Brain Mapping
Discrimination
Discrimination (Psychology) - physiology
Facial Expression
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans
Inhibition (Psychology)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Medical imaging
Photic Stimulation - methods
Studies
Temporal Lobe - physiology
Thalamus - physiology
Time Factors
Vision, Binocular - physiology
Visual Perception - physiology
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Summary:Rapid identification of behaviorally relevant objects is important for survival. In humans, the neural computations for visually discriminating complex objects involve inferior temporal cortex (IT). However, less detailed but faster form processing may also occur in a phylogenetically older subcortical visual system that terminates in the amygdala. We used binocular rivalry to present stimuli without conscious awareness, thereby eliminating the IT object representation and isolating subcortical visual input to the amygdala. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant brain activation in the left amygdala but not in object-selective IT in response to unperceived fearful faces compared to unperceived nonface objects. These findings indicate that, for certain behaviorally relevant stimuli, a high-level cortical representation in IT is not required for object discrimination in the amygdala.
ISSN:0896-6273
1097-4199