SEVERAL VISUAL FIELD MAPS WITH DIFFERENTIAL STIMULUS SELECTIVITY

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. INTRODUCTION Human ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOT) is important for many visual recognition processes, but the visual field maps in this region have not been determined precisely1-4. These maps occupy a fairly small cortical surface area, so that even modern fMRI techniques obtain only 1-2 dozen spatial samples/map. Thus, it is important to find additional sources of data, such as stimulus selectivity, that support the presence of a visual area. Here, we describe coordinated measurements of color, object and face responsivity coupled with visual field maps in VOT. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used fMRI and phase-encoded methods to measure retinotopic maps in VOT. The rotating wedge and expanding ring stimuli consisted of 3¿ and 16¿ black and white, drifting radial checkerboard patterns. The resulting temporal phase-encoded signals were transferred onto flattened views of visual cortex and analyzed with an automated, atlas-fitting algorithm. Color, face, and object-selective regions were found with localizer scans and compared to the visual field maps.