title: Partially distributed representations of objects and faces in ventral temporal cortex.
abstract: Object and face representations in ventral temporal (VT) cortex were investigated by combining object confusability data from a computational model of object classification with neural response confusability data from a functional neuroimaging experiment. A pattern-based classification algorithm learned to categorize individual brain maps according to the object category being viewed by the subject. An identical algorithm learned to classify an image-based, view-dependent representation of the stimuli. High correlations were found between the confusability of object categories and the confusability of brain activity maps. This occurred even with the inclusion of multiple views of objects, and when the object classification model was tested with high spatial frequency "line drawings" of the stimuli. Consistent with a distributed representation of objects in VT cortex, the data indicate that object categories with shared image-based attributes have shared neural structure.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas, Richardson, TX 75083-0688, USA. otoole@utdallas.edu
authors.forename: Alice J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdi
authors.forename: James V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Haxby
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001931:Brain Mapping; D000077463:Carbamide Peroxide; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005145:Face; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D010545:Peroxides; D000077463:Carbamide Peroxide; D014508:Urea