Attention is an indispensable component of active vision. Contrary to the widely accepted notion that temporal cortex processing primarily focusses on passive object recognition, a series of very recent studies emphasize the role of temporal cortex structures, specifically the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferotemporal (IT) cortex, in guiding attention and implementing cognitive programs relevant for behavioral tasks. The goal of this theoretical paper is to advance the hypothesis that the temporal cortex attention network (TAN) entails necessary components to actively participate in attentional control in a flexible task-dependent manner. First, we will briefly discuss the general architecture of the temporal cortex with a focus on the STS and IT cortex of monkeys and their modulation with attention. Then we will review evidence from behavioral and neurophysiological studies that support their guidance of attention in the presence of cognitive control signals. Next, we propose a mechanistic framework for executive control of attention in the temporal cortex. Finally, we summarize the role of temporal cortex in implementing cognitive programs and discuss how they contribute to the dynamic nature of visual attention to ensure flexible behavior. 

The role of temporal cortex in the control of attention

Attention is an indispensable component of active vision. Contrary to the widely accepted notion that temporal cortex processing primarily focusses on passive object recognition, a series of very recent studies emphasize the role of temporal cortex structures, specifically the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferotemporal (IT) cortex, in guiding attention and implementing cognitive programs relevant for behavioral tasks. The goal of this review is to advance the hypothesis that the temporal cortex, classically thought to be only involved in object recognition, entails necessary components to actively participate in attentional control in a flexible task-dependent manner. First, we will briefly discuss the general architecture of the temporal cortex with a focus on the STS and IT cortex and their modulation with attention. Then we will review evidence from behavioral and neurophysiological studies that support their guidance of attention in the presence of cognitive control signals. Next, we propose a mechanistic framework for executive control of attention in the temporal cortex. Finally, we summarize the role of temporal cortex in implementing cognitive programs and discuss how they contribute to the dynamic nature of visual attention to ensure flexible behavior.

http://www.cell.com/article/S0896627323003380/pdf

Local and long-distance organization of prefrontal cortex circuits in the marmoset brain

Primates learn statistical regularities that are embedded in visual sequences, a form of statistical learning. Single-unit recordings in macaques showed that inferior temporal (IT) neurons are sensitive to statistical regularities in visual sequences. Here, we asked whether ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), which is connected to IT, is also sensitive to the transition probabilities in visual sequences and whether the statistical learning signal in IT originates in VLPFC. We recorded simultaneously multiunit activity (MUA) and local field potentials (LFPs) in IT and VLPFC after monkeys were exposed to triplets of images with a fixed presentation order. In both areas, the MUA was stronger to images that violated the learned sequence (deviants) compared to the same images presented in the learned triplets. The high-gamma and beta LFP power showed an enhanced and suppressed response, respectively, to the deviants in both areas. The enhanced response was present also for the image following the deviant, suggesting a sensitivity for temporal adjacent dependencies in IT and VLPFC. The increased response to the deviant occurred later in VLPFC than in IT, suggesting that the deviant response in IT was not inherited from VLPFC. These data support predictive coding theories that propose a feedforward flow of prediction errors.

/pdf/inferior-temporal-cortex-leads-prefrontal-cortex-in-response-26fgk2yr.pdf

Inferior temporal cortex leads prefrontal cortex in response to a violation of a learned sequence.

Connectome-scale structural mapping is fundamental for understanding the underlying mechanisms of brain cognition and brain disease pathogenesis. By combining rapidly developing three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques and big data analysis methods, researchers are working on mesoscale mapping of mammalian brains at an accelerated pace. Here, we briefly describe existing brain-wide imaging strategies, especially our recently established primate-optimized pipeline capable of pan-brain neuronal connectivity mapping at subcellular resolution, and further discuss their vast application prospects in the big data era of zoology.

https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.138

Atsushi Takahashi

Papers

The cortical connectome of primate lateral prefrontal cortex