title: Prefrontal cortex lesions impair object-spatial integration.
abstract: How and where object and spatial information are perceptually integrated in the brain is a central question in visual cognition. Single-unit physiology, scalp EEG, and fMRI research suggests that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a critical locus for object-spatial integration. To test the causal participation of the PFC in an object-spatial integration network, we studied ten patients with unilateral PFC damage performing a lateralized object-spatial integration task. Consistent with single-unit and neuroimaging studies, we found that PFC lesions result in a significant behavioral impairment in object-spatial integration. Furthermore, by manipulating inter-hemispheric transfer of object-spatial information, we found that masking of visual transfer impairs performance in the contralesional visual field in the PFC patients. Our results provide the first evidence that the PFC plays a key, causal role in an object-spatial integration network. Patient performance is also discussed within the context of compensation by the non-lesioned PFC.
authors.affiliation: Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America. bradley.voytek@gmail.com
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Voytek
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soltani
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pickard
authors.forename: Mark M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kishiyama
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Knight
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology