Cortical networks processing motion and depth in the primate brain: A neuroimaging approach

Abstract:

Over the last decades, motion and depth processing have been extensively studied in the nonhuman primate brain from electrophysiological recordings, leading to an accurate characterization of the neural responses but only within a few explored areas.

Neuroimaging data are essential to better understand this processing at the cortical network level. During this talk, I will describe how the most recent developments in fMRI can permit to achieve this aim. From recordings in both human and awake behaving macaque, I will first determine the homologies but also the differences between the networks processing egomotion-consistent optic flow in these two species.

In a second study, I will show how fMRI can be combined with high-density EEG recordings in human to characterize the dynamics of the responses within the cortical networks involved in a decision-making task based on binocular disparity, the main cue for depth in the near space. Using a novel response-locked analysis and multimodal source imaging, I will characterize when and where decision-specific activity appears relative to the subject behavioral response.