The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention
Divisive normalization of the neural responses by the activity of the neighboring neurons has been proposed as a fundamental operation in the nervous system based on its success in predicting neural responses recorded in primate electrophysiology studies. Nevertheless, experimental evidence for the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/75726 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850166690258616320 |
|---|---|
| author | Narges Doostani Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam |
| author_facet | Narges Doostani Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam |
| author_sort | Narges Doostani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Divisive normalization of the neural responses by the activity of the neighboring neurons has been proposed as a fundamental operation in the nervous system based on its success in predicting neural responses recorded in primate electrophysiology studies. Nevertheless, experimental evidence for the existence of this operation in the human brain is still scant. Here, using functional MRI, we examined the role of normalization across the visual hierarchy in the human visual cortex. Using stimuli form the two categories of human bodies and houses, we presented objects in isolation or in clutter and asked participants to attend or ignore the stimuli. Focusing on the primary visual area V1, the object-selective regions LO and pFs, the body-selective region EBA, and the scene-selective region PPA, we first modeled single-voxel responses using a weighted sum, a weighted average, and a normalization model and demonstrated that although the weighted sum and weighted average models also made acceptable predictions in some conditions, the response to multiple stimuli could generally be better described by a model that takes normalization into account. We then determined the observed effects of attention on cortical responses and demonstrated that these effects were predicted by the normalization model, but not by the weighted sum or the weighted average models. Our results thus provide evidence that the normalization model can predict responses to objects across shifts of visual attention, suggesting the role of normalization as a fundamental operation in the human brain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-616d65d09b2343af9fdda52d1b929c00 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj-art-616d65d09b2343af9fdda52d1b929c002025-08-20T02:21:21ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2023-04-011210.7554/eLife.75726The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attentionNarges Doostani0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5775-6595Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh1Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1830-2501School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, IranSchool of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, Iran; School of Electrical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranLaboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, United StatesDivisive normalization of the neural responses by the activity of the neighboring neurons has been proposed as a fundamental operation in the nervous system based on its success in predicting neural responses recorded in primate electrophysiology studies. Nevertheless, experimental evidence for the existence of this operation in the human brain is still scant. Here, using functional MRI, we examined the role of normalization across the visual hierarchy in the human visual cortex. Using stimuli form the two categories of human bodies and houses, we presented objects in isolation or in clutter and asked participants to attend or ignore the stimuli. Focusing on the primary visual area V1, the object-selective regions LO and pFs, the body-selective region EBA, and the scene-selective region PPA, we first modeled single-voxel responses using a weighted sum, a weighted average, and a normalization model and demonstrated that although the weighted sum and weighted average models also made acceptable predictions in some conditions, the response to multiple stimuli could generally be better described by a model that takes normalization into account. We then determined the observed effects of attention on cortical responses and demonstrated that these effects were predicted by the normalization model, but not by the weighted sum or the weighted average models. Our results thus provide evidence that the normalization model can predict responses to objects across shifts of visual attention, suggesting the role of normalization as a fundamental operation in the human brain.https://elifesciences.org/articles/75726divisive normalizationobject-based attentionhuman visual cortexfMRI |
| spellingShingle | Narges Doostani Gholam-Ali Hossein-Zadeh Maryam Vaziri-Pashkam The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention eLife divisive normalization object-based attention human visual cortex fMRI |
| title | The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention |
| title_full | The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention |
| title_fullStr | The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention |
| title_full_unstemmed | The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention |
| title_short | The normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object-based attention |
| title_sort | normalization model predicts responses in the human visual cortex during object based attention |
| topic | divisive normalization object-based attention human visual cortex fMRI |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/75726 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nargesdoostani thenormalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention AT gholamalihosseinzadeh thenormalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention AT maryamvaziripashkam thenormalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention AT nargesdoostani normalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention AT gholamalihosseinzadeh normalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention AT maryamvaziripashkam normalizationmodelpredictsresponsesinthehumanvisualcortexduringobjectbasedattention |