Integrating faces, houses, motion, and action: spontaneous binding across ventral and dorsal processing streams

Acta Psychol (Amst). 2008 Jan;127(1):177-85. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2007.04.003. Epub 2007 Jun 6.

Abstract

Perceiving an event requires the integration of its features across numerous brain maps and modules. Visual object perception is thought to be mediated by a ventral processing stream running from occipital to inferotemporal cortex, whereas most spatial processing and action control is attributed to the dorsal stream connecting occipital, parietal, and frontal cortex. Here we show that integration operates not only on ventral features and objects, such as faces and houses, but also across ventral and dorsal pathways, binding faces and houses to motion and manual action. Furthermore, these bindings seem to persist over time, as they influenced performance on future task-relevant visual stimuli. This is reflected by longer reaction times for repeating one, but alternating other features in a sequence, compared to complete repetition or alternation of features. Our findings are inconsistent with the notion that the dorsal stream is operating exclusively online and has no access to memory.

MeSH terms

  • Association Learning / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
  • Color Perception / physiology
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology
  • Face*
  • Field Dependence-Independence*
  • Humans
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Motion Perception / physiology*
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Orientation / physiology*
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
  • Psychophysiology
  • Reaction Time / physiology