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01-11-2015 | Original Article

Resting-state connectivity and functional specialization in human medial parieto-occipital cortex

Authors: Annalisa Tosoni, Sabrina Pitzalis, Giorgia Committeri, Patrizia Fattori, Claudio Galletti, Gaspare Galati

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 6/2015

Abstract

According to recent models of visuo-spatial processing, the medial parieto-occipital cortex is a crucial node of the dorsal visual stream. Evidence from neurophysiological studies in monkeys has indicated that the parieto-occipital sulcus (POS) contains three functionally and cytoarchitectonically distinct areas: the visual area V6 in the fundus of the POS, and the visuo-motor areas V6Av and V6Ad in a progressively dorsal and anterior location with respect to V6. Besides different topographical organization, cytoarchitectonics, and functional properties, these three monkey areas can also be distinguished based on their patterns of cortico-cortical connections. Thanks to wide-field retinotopic mapping, areas V6 and V6Av have been also mapped in the human brain. Here, using a combined approach of resting-state functional connectivity and task-evoked activity by fMRI, we identified a new region in the anterior POS showing a pattern of functional properties and cortical connections that suggests a homology with the monkey area V6Ad. In addition, we observed distinct patterns of cortical connections associated with the human V6 and V6Av which are remarkably consistent with those showed by the anatomical tracing studies in the corresponding monkey areas. Consistent with recent models on visuo-spatial processing, our findings demonstrate a gradient of functional specialization and cortical connections within the human POS, with more posterior regions primarily dedicated to the analysis of visual attributes useful for spatial navigation and more anterior regions primarily dedicated to analyses of spatial information relevant for goal-directed action.

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Title: Resting-state connectivity and functional specialization in human medial parieto-occipital cortex
Authors: Annalisa Tosoni
Sabrina Pitzalis
Giorgia Committeri
Patrizia Fattori
Claudio Galletti
Gaspare Galati
Publication date: 01-11-2015
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 6/2015
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0858-x

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Resting-state connectivity and functional specialization in human medial parieto-occipital cortex

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