title: A Predominantly Visual Subdivision of The Right Temporo-Parietal Junction (vTPJ).
abstract: A multiplicity of sensory and cognitive functions has been attributed to the large cortical region at the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). Using functional MRI, we report that a small region lateralized within the right TPJ responds robustly to certain simple visual stimuli ("vTPJ"). The vTPJ was found in all right hemispheres (n = 7), posterior to the auditory cortex. To manipulate stimuli and attention, subjects were presented with a mixture of visual and auditory stimuli in a concurrent block design in 2 experiments: (1) A simple visual stimulus (a grating pattern modulating in mean luminance) elicited robust responses in the vTPJ, whether or not the subject attended to vision and(2) a drifting low-contrast dartboard pattern of constant mean luminance evoked robust responses in the vTPJ when it was task-relevant (visual task), and smaller responses when it was not (auditory task). The results suggest a focal, visually responsive region within the right TPJ that is powerfully driven by certain visual stimuli (luminance fluctuations), and that can be driven by other visual stimuli when the subject is attending. The precise localization of this visually responsive region is helpful in segmenting the TPJ and to better understand its role in visual awareness and related disorders such as extinction and neglect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.|Department of Ophthalmology, Jikei University, School of Medicine, Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.|Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Wandell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winawer
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001931:Brain Mapping; D058256:Brain Waves / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: multisensory; temporo-parietal junction; visual attention; visual extinction; visual perception