Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network
Abstract Visual cortex is thought to show both dorsoventral and hemispheric modularity, but it is not known if the same functional modules emerge spontaneously from an unsupervised network analysis, or how they interact when saccades necessitate increased sharing of spatial information. Here, we add...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95568-9 |
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| author | George Tomou Bianca R. Baltaretu Amirhossein Ghaderi J. Douglas Crawford |
| author_facet | George Tomou Bianca R. Baltaretu Amirhossein Ghaderi J. Douglas Crawford |
| author_sort | George Tomou |
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| description | Abstract Visual cortex is thought to show both dorsoventral and hemispheric modularity, but it is not known if the same functional modules emerge spontaneously from an unsupervised network analysis, or how they interact when saccades necessitate increased sharing of spatial information. Here, we address these issues by applying graph theory analysis to fMRI data obtained while human participants decided whether an object’s shape or orientation changed, with or without an intervening saccade across the object. BOLD activation from 50 vision-related cortical nodes was used to identify local and global network properties. Modularity analysis revealed three sub-networks during fixation: a bilateral parietofrontal network linking areas implicated in visuospatial processing and two lateralized occipitotemporal networks linking areas implicated in object feature processing. When horizontal saccades required visual comparisons between visual hemifields, functional interconnectivity and information transfer increased, and the two lateralized ventral modules became functionally integrated into a single bilateral sub-network. This network included ‘between module’ connectivity hubs in lateral intraparietal cortex and dorsomedial occipital areas previously implicated in transsaccadic integration. These results provide support for functional modularity in the visual system and show that the hemispheric sub-networks are modified and functionally integrated during saccades. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c2c4c280e44947bd87eede1a2a16d7f02025-08-20T02:10:17ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-95568-9Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision networkGeorge Tomou0Bianca R. Baltaretu1Amirhossein Ghaderi2J. Douglas Crawford3Centre for Vision Research, York UniversityCentre for Vision Research, York UniversityCentre for Vision Research, York UniversityCentre for Vision Research, York UniversityAbstract Visual cortex is thought to show both dorsoventral and hemispheric modularity, but it is not known if the same functional modules emerge spontaneously from an unsupervised network analysis, or how they interact when saccades necessitate increased sharing of spatial information. Here, we address these issues by applying graph theory analysis to fMRI data obtained while human participants decided whether an object’s shape or orientation changed, with or without an intervening saccade across the object. BOLD activation from 50 vision-related cortical nodes was used to identify local and global network properties. Modularity analysis revealed three sub-networks during fixation: a bilateral parietofrontal network linking areas implicated in visuospatial processing and two lateralized occipitotemporal networks linking areas implicated in object feature processing. When horizontal saccades required visual comparisons between visual hemifields, functional interconnectivity and information transfer increased, and the two lateralized ventral modules became functionally integrated into a single bilateral sub-network. This network included ‘between module’ connectivity hubs in lateral intraparietal cortex and dorsomedial occipital areas previously implicated in transsaccadic integration. These results provide support for functional modularity in the visual system and show that the hemispheric sub-networks are modified and functionally integrated during saccades.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95568-9Cerebral cortexVisual featuresSaccadesTranssaccadic integrationFunctional magnetic resonance imagingGraph theory analysis |
| spellingShingle | George Tomou Bianca R. Baltaretu Amirhossein Ghaderi J. Douglas Crawford Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network Scientific Reports Cerebral cortex Visual features Saccades Transsaccadic integration Functional magnetic resonance imaging Graph theory analysis |
| title | Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| title_full | Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| title_fullStr | Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| title_short | Saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| title_sort | saccades influence functional modularity in the human cortical vision network |
| topic | Cerebral cortex Visual features Saccades Transsaccadic integration Functional magnetic resonance imaging Graph theory analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95568-9 |
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