Subregions of human parietal cortex selectively encoding object orientation.
Computation of object orientation could be an independent process from those of other object features, but currently neither the location of human brain areas selectively coding orientation information nor an optimum experimental paradigm have yet been established. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate brain activation in the parietal cortices related to object orientation. Using an Arabic digit whose spatial attributes were carefully manipulated, we found parietal areas exclusively sensitive to object orientation, but not to general spatial attention. It seems that, by excluding confounds such as mental manipulation or working memory as well as inherent spatial information within the stimuli, functional segregation within the parietal lobe can be effectively probed.
Aso
Toshihiko
T
Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. aso@bpp2.kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Hanakawa
Takashi
T
Matsuo
Kayako
K
Toma
Keiichiro
K
Shibasaki
Hiroshi
H
Fukuyama
Hidenao
H
Nakai
Toshiharu
T
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012399:Rotation; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*