Dataset Information

Distinct subdivisions of human medial parietal cortex support recollection of people and places.

ABSTRACT: Human medial parietal cortex (MPC) is implicated in multiple cognitive processes including memory recall, visual scene processing and navigation, and is a core component of the default mode network. Here, we demonstrate distinct subdivisions of MPC that are selectively recruited during memory recall of either specific people or places. First, distinct regions of MPC exhibited differential functional connectivity with medial and lateral regions of ventral temporal cortex (VTC). Second, these same medial regions showed selective, but negative, responses to the visual presentation of different stimulus categories, with clear preferences for scenes and faces. Finally, and most critically, these regions were differentially recruited during memory recall of either people or places with a strong familiarity advantage. Taken together, these data suggest that the organizing principle defining the medial-lateral axis of VTC is reflected in MPC, but in the context of memory recall.

SUBMITTER: Silson EH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6667275 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Distinct subdivisions of human medial parietal cortex support recollection of people and places.

Silson Edward H EH Steel Adam A Kidder Alexis A Gilmore Adrian W AW Baker Chris I CI

eLife 20190715

Human medial parietal cortex (MPC) is implicated in multiple cognitive processes including memory recall, visual scene processing and navigation, and is a core component of the default mode network. Here, we demonstrate distinct subdivisions of MPC that are selectively recruited during memory recall of either specific people or places. First, distinct regions of MPC exhibited differential functional connectivity with medial and lateral regions of ventral temporal cortex (VTC). Second, these same ...[more]

PMID: 31305238

Similar Datasets

Project description:Functional imaging studies in human reliably identify a trio of scene-selective regions, one on each of the lateral [occipital place area (OPA)], ventral [parahippocampal place area (PPA)], and medial [retrosplenial complex (RSC)] cortical surfaces. Recently, we demonstrated differential retinotopic biases for the contralateral lower and upper visual fields within OPA and PPA, respectively. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we combine detailed mapping of both population receptive fields (pRF) and category-selectivity, with independently acquired resting-state functional connectivity analyses, to examine scene and retinotopic processing within medial parietal cortex. We identified a medial scene-selective region, which was contained largely within the posterior and ventral bank of the parieto-occipital sulcus (POS). While this region is typically referred to as RSC, the spatial extent of our scene-selective region typically did not extend into retrosplenial cortex, and thus we adopt the term medial place area (MPA) to refer to this visually defined scene-selective region. Intriguingly MPA co-localized with a region identified solely on the basis of retinotopic sensitivity using pRF analyses. We found that MPA demonstrates a significant contralateral visual field bias, coupled with large pRF sizes. Unlike OPA and PPA, MPA did not show a consistent bias to a single visual quadrant. MPA also co-localized with a region identified by strong differential functional connectivity with PPA and the human face-selective fusiform face area (FFA), commensurate with its functional selectivity. Functional connectivity with OPA was much weaker than with PPA, and similar to that with face-selective occipital face area (OFA), suggesting a closer link with ventral than lateral cortex. Consistent with prior research, we also observed differential functional connectivity in medial parietal cortex for anterior over posterior PPA, as well as a region on the lateral surface, the caudal inferior parietal lobule (cIPL). However, the differential connectivity in medial parietal cortex was found principally anterior of MPA. We suggest that there is posterior-anterior gradient within medial parietal cortex, with posterior regions in the POS showing retinotopically based scene-selectivity and more anterior regions showing connectivity that may be more reflective of abstract, navigationally pertinent and possibly mnemonic representations.

Project description:Human retrosplenial complex (RSC), located in medial parietal cortex, has been implicated in numerous cognitive functions, including scene perception, spatial navigation, and autobiographical memory retrieval. Recently, a posterior-anterior distinction within RSC was proposed, such that posterior aspects process scene-related visual information (constituting a medial place area [MPA]), whereas anterior aspects process information that is vividly retrieved from memory, thereby supporting remembering and potentially navigation. Here, we tested this proposed distinction in a single group of participants (both male and female) using fMRI with both perceptual and mnemonic tasks. After completing a resting-state scan, participants performed a task that required constructing scenes from memory and completed a scene selectivity localizer task. We tested directly perceptual and mnemonic responses in MPA and an anterior, connectivity-defined region (CON), which showed strong functional connectivity with anterior parahippocampal place area. A double dissociation was observed, such that CON was more strongly activated during scene construction than was MPA, whereas MPA was more perceptually responsive than CON. Further, peak responses from the scene construction task were anterior to perceptual peaks in all but 1 participant and hemisphere. Finally, through analyses of the posterior-anterior response profiles, we identify the fundus of the parieto-occipital sulcus as a potential location for the crossover from perceptual to mnemonic representations and highlight a potential left-hemisphere advantage for mnemonic representations. Collectively, our results support a distinction between posterior and anterior aspects of the RSC, suggesting that more specific functional-anatomic terms should be used in its place in future work.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The retrosplenial complex (RSC) has been implicated in vision, spatial cognition, and memory. We previously speculated on a potential posterior-anterior distinction within RSC for scene perception and memory-based scene construction/navigation. Here, we tested this distinction through a combination of resting-state, perceptual, and mnemonic task data. Consistent with our predictions, we demonstrate that perceptual responses peak consistently posterior of those elicited by memory-based scene construction within the broader RSC. Further, we highlight (1) the fundus of the parieto-occipital sulcus as a landmark for the transition between these representations, (2) the anterior bank of parieto-occipital sulcus as the point of maximal separation between these representations, and (3) identify a potential hemispheric asymmetry in mnemonic representations. These data support functional dissociations within RSC.

Dataset Information

Distinct subdivisions of human medial parietal cortex support recollection of people and places.

Publications

Distinct subdivisions of human medial parietal cortex support recollection of people and places.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets