Visual perception and neural correlates of novel ‘biological motion’

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) Vol. 47; no. 21; pp. 2786 - 2797
• Main Authors: Pyles, John A., Garcia, Javier O., Hoffman, Donald D., Grossman, Emily D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biological motion; Discrimination (Psychology); Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Female; fMRI; Form Perception - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human Characteristics; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Motion; Motion Perception - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Perception; Photic Stimulation; Temporal Lobe - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Vision; Motion; fMRI; Perception; Biological motion; Vision; Body movement; Biological marker; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Functional imaging
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2007.07.017

Studies of biological motion have identified specialized neural machinery for the perception of human actions. Our experiments examine behavioral and neural responses to novel, articulating and non-human ‘biological motion’. We find that non-human actions are seen as animate, but do not convey body structure when viewed as point-lights. Non-human animations fail to engage the human STSp, and neural responses in pITG, ITS and FFA/FBA are reduced only for the point-light versions. Our results suggest that STSp is specialized for human motion and ventral temporal regions support general, dynamic shape perception. We also identify a region in ventral temporal cortex ‘selective’ for non-human animations, which we suggest processes novel, dynamic objects.