title: Visual perception and neural correlates of novel 'biological motion'.
abstract: Studies of biological motion have identified specialized neural machinery for the perception of human actions. Our experiments examine behavioral and neural responses to novel, articulating and non-human 'biological motion'. We find that non-human actions are seen as animate, but do not convey body structure when viewed as point-lights. Non-human animations fail to engage the human STSp, and neural responses in pITG, ITS and FFA/FBA are reduced only for the point-light versions. Our results suggest that STSp is specialized for human motion and ventral temporal regions support general, dynamic shape perception. We also identify a region in ventral temporal cortex 'selective' for non-human animations, which we suggest processes novel, dynamic objects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Sciences, 3151 Social Sciences Plaza, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-5100, USA.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pyles
authors.forename: Javier O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Donald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Emily D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Grossman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D040821:Human Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009038:Motion; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*