A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques

Abstract Goal-directed visual attention is a fundamental cognitive process that demonstrates the brain’s remarkable ability to prioritize visual information relevant to specific tasks or objectives. Despite its importance, there is a lack of comprehensive datasets to investigate the underlying neura...

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Main Authors: Jie Zhang, Xiaocang Zhu, Huihui Zhou, Shuo Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Data
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05130-5
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author Jie Zhang
Xiaocang Zhu
Huihui Zhou
Shuo Wang
author_facet Jie Zhang
Xiaocang Zhu
Huihui Zhou
Shuo Wang
author_sort Jie Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Goal-directed visual attention is a fundamental cognitive process that demonstrates the brain’s remarkable ability to prioritize visual information relevant to specific tasks or objectives. Despite its importance, there is a lack of comprehensive datasets to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we present a large naturalistic visual search dataset in which rhesus macaques searched for targets among natural stimuli based on object categories using voluntary eye movements. The stimulus set included 40 images per category across four categories: faces, houses, flowers, and hands. We recorded activity from 6871 units in area V4, 8641 units in the inferior temporal cortex (IT), 5622 units in the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and 9916 units in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). These units exhibited diverse receptive fields and selectivity for visual categories. Together, our extensive dataset provides a rich neuronal population across multiple brain areas, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the neural processes underlying goal-directed visual attention.
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spelling doaj-art-cdacc94265fe4e668df3c1afa2557e7b2025-08-20T02:32:00ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632025-05-0112111010.1038/s41597-025-05130-5A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaquesJie Zhang0Xiaocang Zhu1Huihui Zhou2Shuo Wang3Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. LouisShenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of SciencesPeng Cheng LaboratoryDepartment of Radiology, Washington University in St. LouisAbstract Goal-directed visual attention is a fundamental cognitive process that demonstrates the brain’s remarkable ability to prioritize visual information relevant to specific tasks or objectives. Despite its importance, there is a lack of comprehensive datasets to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we present a large naturalistic visual search dataset in which rhesus macaques searched for targets among natural stimuli based on object categories using voluntary eye movements. The stimulus set included 40 images per category across four categories: faces, houses, flowers, and hands. We recorded activity from 6871 units in area V4, 8641 units in the inferior temporal cortex (IT), 5622 units in the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and 9916 units in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). These units exhibited diverse receptive fields and selectivity for visual categories. Together, our extensive dataset provides a rich neuronal population across multiple brain areas, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the neural processes underlying goal-directed visual attention.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05130-5
spellingShingle Jie Zhang
Xiaocang Zhu
Huihui Zhou
Shuo Wang
A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
Scientific Data
title A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
title_full A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
title_fullStr A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
title_full_unstemmed A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
title_short A large neuronal dataset for natural category-based free-gaze visual search in macaques
title_sort large neuronal dataset for natural category based free gaze visual search in macaques
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05130-5
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