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Paper   IPM / Cognitive Sciences / 17690
School of Cognitive Sciences
  Title:   Position- and scale-invariant object-centered spatial localization in monkey frontoparietal cortex dynamically adapts to cognitive demand
  Author(s): 
1.  B. Taghizadeh
2.  O. Fortmann
3.  A. Gail
  Status:   Published
  Journal: Nature Communications
  Vol.:  15
  Year:  2024
  Supported by:  IPM
  Abstract:
Egocentric encoding is a well-known property of brain areas along the dorsal pathway. Different to previous experiments, which typically only demanded egocentric spatial processing during movement preparation, we designed a task where two male rhesus monkeys memorized an on-the-object target position and then planned a reach to this position after the object re-occurred at variable location with potentially different size. We found allocentric (in addition to egocentric) encoding in the dorsal stream reach planning areas, parietal reach region and dorsal premotor cortex, which is invariant with respect to the position, and, remarkably, also the size of the object. The dynamic adjustment from predominantly allocentric encoding during visual memory to predominantly egocentric during reach planning in the same brain areas and often the same neurons, suggests that the prevailing frame of reference is less a question of brain area or processing stream, but more of the cognitive demands.

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