Human V4 size predicts crowding distance
Abstract Visual recognition is limited by both object size (acuity) and spacing. The spacing limit, called “crowding”, is the failure to recognize an object in the presence of other objects. Here, we take advantage of individual differences in crowding to investigate its biological basis. Crowding d...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59101-w |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849234973148577792 |
|---|---|
| author | Jan W. Kurzawski Brenda S. Qiu Najib J. Majaj Noah C. Benson Denis G. Pelli Jonathan Winawer |
| author_facet | Jan W. Kurzawski Brenda S. Qiu Najib J. Majaj Noah C. Benson Denis G. Pelli Jonathan Winawer |
| author_sort | Jan W. Kurzawski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Visual recognition is limited by both object size (acuity) and spacing. The spacing limit, called “crowding”, is the failure to recognize an object in the presence of other objects. Here, we take advantage of individual differences in crowding to investigate its biological basis. Crowding distance, the minimum object spacing needed for recognition, varies 2-fold among healthy adults. We test the conjecture that this variation in psychophysical crowding distance is due to variation in cortical map size. To test this, we make paired measurements of brain and behavior in 49 observers. We use psychophysics to measure crowding distance and calculate λ, the number of letters that fit into each observer’s visual field without crowding. In the same observers, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the surface area A of retinotopic maps V1, V2, V3, and V4. Across observers, λ is proportional to the surface area of V4 but is uncorrelated with the surface area of V1 to V3. The proportional relationship of λ to area of V4 indicates conservation of cortical crowding distance across individuals: letters can be recognized if they are spaced by at least 1.4 mm on the V4 map, irrespective of map size and psychophysical crowding distance. We conclude that the size of V4 predicts the spacing limit of visual perception. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-142e275b7d88420aaf2f75c199dd9f21 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-142e275b7d88420aaf2f75c199dd9f212025-08-20T04:02:56ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-59101-wHuman V4 size predicts crowding distanceJan W. Kurzawski0Brenda S. Qiu1Najib J. Majaj2Noah C. Benson3Denis G. Pelli4Jonathan Winawer5Department of Psychology, New York UniversityDepartment of Psychology, University of WashingtonCenter for Neural Science, New York UniversityeScience Institute, University of WashingtonDepartment of Psychology, New York UniversityDepartment of Psychology, New York UniversityAbstract Visual recognition is limited by both object size (acuity) and spacing. The spacing limit, called “crowding”, is the failure to recognize an object in the presence of other objects. Here, we take advantage of individual differences in crowding to investigate its biological basis. Crowding distance, the minimum object spacing needed for recognition, varies 2-fold among healthy adults. We test the conjecture that this variation in psychophysical crowding distance is due to variation in cortical map size. To test this, we make paired measurements of brain and behavior in 49 observers. We use psychophysics to measure crowding distance and calculate λ, the number of letters that fit into each observer’s visual field without crowding. In the same observers, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the surface area A of retinotopic maps V1, V2, V3, and V4. Across observers, λ is proportional to the surface area of V4 but is uncorrelated with the surface area of V1 to V3. The proportional relationship of λ to area of V4 indicates conservation of cortical crowding distance across individuals: letters can be recognized if they are spaced by at least 1.4 mm on the V4 map, irrespective of map size and psychophysical crowding distance. We conclude that the size of V4 predicts the spacing limit of visual perception.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59101-w |
| spellingShingle | Jan W. Kurzawski Brenda S. Qiu Najib J. Majaj Noah C. Benson Denis G. Pelli Jonathan Winawer Human V4 size predicts crowding distance Nature Communications |
| title | Human V4 size predicts crowding distance |
| title_full | Human V4 size predicts crowding distance |
| title_fullStr | Human V4 size predicts crowding distance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human V4 size predicts crowding distance |
| title_short | Human V4 size predicts crowding distance |
| title_sort | human v4 size predicts crowding distance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59101-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT janwkurzawski humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance AT brendasqiu humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance AT najibjmajaj humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance AT noahcbenson humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance AT denisgpelli humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance AT jonathanwinawer humanv4sizepredictscrowdingdistance |