Caitlin R. Mullin

Tms to the lateral occipital cortex disrupts object processing but facilitates scene processing

The study of brain-damaged patients and advancements in neuroimaging have lead to the discovery of discrete brain regions that process visual image categories, such as objects and scenes. However, how these visual image categories interact remains unclear. For example, is scene perception simply an extension of object perception, or can global scene “gist” be processed independently of its component objects? Specifically, when recognizing a scene such as an “office,” does one need to first recognize its individual objects, such as the desk, chair, lamp, pens, and paper to build up the representation of an “office” scene? Here, we show that temporary interruption of object processing through repetitive TMS to the left lateral occipital cortex (LO), an area known to selectively process objects, impairs object categorization but surprisingly facilitates scene categorization. This result was replicated in a second experiment, which assessed the temporal dynamics of this disruption and facilitation. We further showed that repetitive TMS to left LO significantly disrupted object processing but facilitated scene processing when stimulation was administered during the first 180 msec of the task. This demonstrates that the visual system retains the ability to process scenes during disruption to object processing. Moreover, the facilitation of scene processing indicates disinhibition of areas involved in global scene processing, likely caused by disrupting inhibitory contributions from the LO. These findings indicate separate but interactive pathways for object and scene processing and further reveal a network of inhibitory connections between these visual brain regions.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the transverse occipital sulcus affects scene but not object processing

Traditionally, it has been theorized that the human visual system identifies and classifies scenes in an object-centered approach, such that scene recognition can only occur once key objects within a scene are identified. Recent research points toward an alternative approach, suggesting that the global image features of a scene are sufficient for the recognition and categorization of a scene. We have previously shown that disrupting object processing with repetitive TMS to object-selective cortex enhances scene processing possibly through a release of inhibitory mechanisms between object and scene pathways [Mullin, C. R., & Steeves, J. K. E. TMS to the lateral occipital cortex disrupts object processing but facilitates scene processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 4174–4184, 2011]. Here we show the effects of TMS to the transverse occipital sulcus (TOS), an area implicated in scene perception, on scene and object processing. TMS was delivered to the TOS or the vertex (control site) while participants performed an object and scene natural/nonnatural categorization task. Transiently interrupting the TOS resulted in significantly lower accuracies for scene categorization compared with control conditions. This demonstrates a causal role of the TOS in scene processing and indicates its importance, in addition to the parahippocampal place area and retrosplenial cortex, in the scene processing network. Unlike TMS to object-selective cortex, which facilitates scene categorization, disrupting scene processing through stimulation of the TOS did not affect object categorization. Further analysis revealed a higher proportion of errors for nonnatural scenes that led us to speculate that the TOS may be involved in processing the higher spatial frequency content of a scene. This supports a nonhierarchical model of scene recognition.

Consecutive TMS-fMRI Reveals an Inverse Relationship in BOLD Signal between Object and Scene Processing

The human visual system is capable of recognizing an infinite number of scenes containing an abundance of rich visual information. There are several cortical regions associated with the representation of a scene, including those specialized for object processing (the lateral occipital area [LO]) and for the spatial layout of scenes (the parahippocampal place area). Although behavioral studies have demonstrated that these image categories (scenes and objects) exert an influence on each other such that scene context can facilitate object identification or that scene categorization can be impaired by the presence of a salient object, little is known about the apparent cortical interactions involved in building the conscious representation of a complete scene. It has been shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the left LO disrupts object categorization but facilitates scene categorization. Here, we show that this effect is also reflected by changes in the BOLD signal such that TMS to the left LO decreases BOLD signal at the stimulation site (LO) while viewing objects and increases BOLD signal in the left PPA when viewing scenes. This suggests that these regions, although likely not on a strict hierarchy of bottom-up coding, share functional communication likely in the form of inhibitory connections.

Sex differences in face processing are mediated by handedness and sexual orientation

Previous research has demonstrated sex differences in face processing at both neural and behavioural levels. The present study examined the role of handedness and sexual orientation as mediators of this effect. We compared the performance of LH (left-handed) and RH (right-handed) heterosexual and homosexual male and female participants on a face recognition memory task. Our main findings were that homosexual males have better face recognition memory than both heterosexual males and homosexual women. We also demonstrate better face processing in women than in men. Finally, LH heterosexual participants had better face recognition than LH homosexual participants and also tended to be better than RH heterosexual participants. These findings are consistent with differences in the organisation and laterality of face-processing mechanisms as a function of sex, handedness, and sexual orientation.

Preserved Striate Cortex is Not Sufficient to Support the McCollough Effect: Evidence from two Patients with Cerebral Achromatopsia

The McCollough effect (ME) is a colour aftereffect contingent on pattern orientation. This effect is generally thought to be mediated by primary visual cortex (V1) although this has remained the subject of some debate. To determine whether V1 is in fact sufficient to subserve the ME, we compared McCollough adaptation in controls to adaptation in two patients with damage to ventrotemporal cortex, resulting in achromatopsia, but who have spared V1. Each of these patients has some residual colour abilities of which he is unaware. Participants performed a 2AFC orientation-discrimination task for pairs of oblique and vertical/horizontal gratings both before and after adaptation to red/green oblique induction gratings. Successful ME induction would manifest itself as an improvement in oblique-orientation discrimination owing to the additional colour cue after adaptation. Indeed, in controls oblique grating discrimination improved post-adaptation. Further, a subdivision of our control group demonstrated successful ME induction despite a lack of conscious awareness of the added colour cue, indicating that conscious colour awareness is not required for ME induction. The patients, however, did not show improvement in oblique-orientation discrimination, indicating a lack of ME induction. This suggests that V1 must be connected to higher cortical colour areas to drive ME induction.

fMRI-guided TMS of the superior temporal sulcus impairs multisensory temporal processing

The temporal coincidence of multisensory inputs plays a strong role in perceptual binding; the more temporally proximate two stimuli are, the higher the likelihood of binding. The superior temporal sulcus (STS) has been implicated in binding audiovisual stimuli and temporal processing. Here, we used fMRI-guided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to assess the contribution of STS to multisensory temporal processing. A pre-TMS anatomical and functional MRI was acquired, and multisensory (A ∩ V, STS), auditory (A > V, Hechl’s gyrus), and visual (V > A, striate cortex) regions of interest (ROIs) were localized. During separate sessions, each of these ROIs was stimulated for 20 min at 1 Hz prior to collection of behavioral data, in addition to a no-TMS condition. For the behavioral task, participants were presented with flash-beep stimuli at parametrically-varied stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs) while performing a simultaneity judgment task. Temporal binding windows (TBW; the range of SOAs within which a participant perceived the flash and beep to be synchronous 50% of the time) were calculated from these responses. Relative to the no-TMS condition, stimulation of auditory cortex induced a broadening of the TBW with auditory-leading stimuli, and stimulation of visual cortex induced a broadening of the TBW with visual-leading stimuli. Stimulation of STS induced a significant change in the full TBW, driven primarily by an increased tolerance for visual-leading stimuli. Changes specific to the more ecologically valid visual-leading stimuli with STS disruption suggest that multisensory temporal processing in STS reflects learned environmental statistics.