PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas Decramer
AU  - Elsie Premereur
AU  - Mats Uytterhoeven
AU  - Wim Van Paesschen
AU  - Johannes van Loon
AU  - Peter Janssen
AU  - Tom Theys
TI  - Single-cell selectivity and functional architecture of human lateral occipital complex
AID  - 10.1101/631929
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 631929
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/08/631929.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/08/631929.full
AB  - The human lateral occipital complex (LOC) is more strongly activated by images of objects compared to scrambled controls, but detailed information at the neuronal level is currently lacking. We recorded with microelectrode arrays in the LOC of two patients, and obtained highly selective single-unit, multi-unit and high-gamma responses to images of objects. Contrary to predictions derived from functional imaging studies, all neuronal properties indicated that the subsector of LOC we recorded from occupies an unexpectedly high position in the hierarchy of visual areas. Notably, the response latencies of LOC neurons were long, the shape selectivity was spatially clustered, LOC receptive fields were large and bilateral, and a number of LOC neurons exhibited 3D-structure selectivity (a preference for convex or concave stimuli), which are all properties typical of end-stage ventral stream areas. Thus, our results challenge prevailing ideas about the position of the LOC in the hierarchy of visual areas.