In vivo evidence of functional and anatomical stripe-based subdivisions in human V2 and V3

Dumoulin, S.O., Harvey, B.M., Fracasso, A. , Zuiderbaan, W., Luijten, P.R., Wandell, B.A. and Petridou, N. (2017) In vivo evidence of functional and anatomical stripe-based subdivisions in human V2 and V3. Scientific Reports, 7, 733. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00634-6) (PMID:28389654) (PMCID:PMC5428808)

Abstract

Visual cortex contains a hierarchy of visual areas. The earliest cortical area (V1) contains neurons responding to colour, form and motion. Later areas specialize on processing of specific features. The second visual area (V2) in non-human primates contains a stripe-based anatomical organization, initially defined using cytochrome-oxidase staining of post-mortem tissue. Neurons in these stripes have been proposed to serve distinct functional specializations, e.g. processing of color, form and motion. These stripes represent an intermediate stage in visual hierarchy and serve a key role in the increasing functional specialization of visual areas. Using sub-millimeter high-field functional and anatomical MRI (7T), we provide in vivo evidence for stripe-based subdivisions in humans. Using functional MRI, we contrasted responses elicited by stimuli alternating at slow and fast temporal frequencies. We revealed stripe-based subdivisions in V2 ending at the V1/V2 border. The human stripes reach into V3. Using anatomical MRI optimized for myelin contrast within gray matter, we also observe a stripe pattern. Stripe subdivisions preferentially responding to fast temporal frequencies are more myelinated. As such, functional and anatomical measures provide independent and converging evidence for functional organization into striped-based subdivisions in human V2 and V3.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported in part by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant numbers 452.08.008 (SOD), Ammodo KNAW Award (SOD), 13339 (NP) and USA National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant EY 03164 (BAW).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fracasso, Dr Alessio
• Authors: Dumoulin, S.O., Harvey, B.M., Fracasso, A., Zuiderbaan, W., Luijten, P.R., Wandell, B.A., and Petridou, N.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 7: 733
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License