Visual imagery of faces and cars in face-selective visual areas

Abstract

Neuroimaging provides a unique tool to investigate otherwise difficult-to-access mental processes like visual imagery. Prior studies support the idea that visual imagery is a top-down reinstatement of visual perception, and it is likely that this extends to object processing. Here we use functional MRI and multi-voxel pattern analysis to ask if mental imagery of cars engages the fusiform face area, similar to what is found during perception. We test only individuals who we assumed could imagine individual car models based on their above-average perceptual abilities with cars. Our results provide evidence that cars are represented differently from common objects in face-selective visual areas, at least in those with above-average car recognition ability. Moreover, pattern classifiers trained on data acquired during imagery can decode the neural response pattern acquired during perception, suggesting that the tested object categories are represented similarly during perception and visual imagery. The results suggest that, even at high-levels of visual processing, visual imagery mirrors perception to some extent, and that face-selective areas may in part support non-face object imagery.

Visual mental imagery engages the left fusiform gyrus, but not the early visual cortex: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging evidence

“…Domain-specific VMI might show differences in hemispheric laterality. For example, a homologue network in the right hemisphere might contribute to aspects of VMI for faces (O'Craven and Kanwisher, 2000;Barton and Cherkasova, 2003;Sunday et al, 2018) (but also see Ishai et al, 2000), in analogy with the previously mentioned right fusiform superiority in perceptual face processing (Kanwisher et al, 1997; but also see Bukowski et al, 2013). The present evidence is consistent with the possibility that prefrontal regions initiate visual mental imagery, in analogy with other endogenous cognitive processes, such as top-down spatial attention (Buschman and Miller, 2007).…”

Visual mental imagery engages the left fusiform gyrus, but not the early visual cortex: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging evidence

“…Domain-specific VMI might show differences in hemispheric laterality. For example, a homologue network in the right hemisphere might contribute to aspects of VMI for faces (Barton & Cherkasova, 2003; O’Craven & Kanwisher, 2000; Sunday, McGugin, Tamber-Rosenau, & Gauthier, 2018) (but also see Ishai et al, 2000), in analogy with the previously mentioned right fusiform superiority in perceptual face processing (but also see Bukowski et al, 2013; Kanwisher et al, 1997). The present evidence is consistent with the possibility that prefrontal regions initiate visual mental imagery, in analogy with other endogenous cognitive processes, such as top-down spatial attention (Buschman & Miller, 2007).…”

Visual category-driven differences in memory

“…But are category-selective areas representing fine-grained detail regarding the recalled stimulus, or are they merely representing the category? Evidence suggests the former: mentally imaged object identities can be decoded from object selective pFs (Lee et al, 2012;Sunday et al, 2018) and face identities can be decoded from the FFA (Sunday et al, 2018), although in some cases object identities can also be reliably decoded from face areas (Sunday et al, 2018).…”