2017.04 Xiamen, VALSE
The Cognitive Neural Basis of Object Recognition and Object Knowledge
Yanchao Bi
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning
IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research Beijing Normal University, China
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Object Recognition
For a purpose beyond labeling – retrieve knowledge/response
Try to think of –
Tying a snake, hugging a hammer, hugging a snake…
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Losing object knowledge…
Case XRK
 Russian Literature professor in Shanghai 63 year old, left temporal lobe atrophy
“
A kind of animal? Often seen in
my neighbourhood. Long nose,
can accompany me to grocery
shopping…
”
Knowledge impairment lead to difficulties in language, object
recognition, object use…
Lin, N., Guo, Q., Han, Z., Bi, Y., Brain Lang, 2011
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Object knowledge/semantic memory/concepts
“moo~”
牛 /niu/, 可靠 忠厚 强壮
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Reductionist: to sensory/motor experience
Whence comes [the mind] by that vast store, which the busy and
boundless fancy of man has painted on it with an almost endless
variety? ... To this I answer, in one word, From experience.
John Locke
1632‐1704
cattle
Patterson et al., 2007; Lambon‐Ralph et al., 2017 Nat Rev Neurosci
Knowledge = perceptual experiences?
brown
walk
Martin et al., 1995, Science Simmons et al., 2007, Cereb Cortex
Simmons et al., 2013 Nat Neurosci
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Questions:
Relationship between perception and knowledge?
Shape on ventral visual pathway (VOTC): Visual format?
How are different types of knowledge bound together?
Anatomical and functional networks for object understanding
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Visual pathway: Object recognition areas – Organized by Domains
Kanwisher 2010 PNAS; Martin 2007 Annu Rev Psyc
Kanwisher, 2010, PNAS (see also Martin, 2007, Ann Rev Psych.)
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Reflect visual properties?
Center‐Periphery
Organization Principle
Low‐level Visual Feature Principle
 Scene‐Rectilinear Sensitiveness
Rectilinear vs. Round
L
face
buildings
Nasr et al., 2014
 Animate‐Curve Sensitiveness
Helvetica
Cartoon faces
Tetris
Monkey faces
Objects > faces
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Levy et al., 2001
2
‐2 ‐8
Srihasam et al., 2014
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Reflect visual properties?? -- Congenitally blind vs. Sighted
• Blind =/= sighted 
Reflect visual
Measure 1:
Task induced activation level to
16 object categories:
human face parts, human body
parts, daily scenes, tools,
mammals, reptiles, birds, fishes,
bugs, fruits and vegetables,
flowers, preserved food, clothes,
musical instruments, vehicles,
furniture
Measure 2:
Resting-state functional
connectivity pattern
Vector 1-180
• Blind = sighted 
Not fully dependent on
visual
Wang, Peelen, Han, He, Caramazza, & Bi, 2015, J Neurosci
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Function and connection: Congenitally blind vs. Sighted
Task induced activation level to 16 object categories: Resting‐state functional connectivity pattern
Wang, Peelen, Han, He, Caramazza, & Bi, 2015, J Neurosci
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“Multi-modal” region1: anterior medial temporal
Wang, Peelen, Han, He, Caramazza, & Bi, 2015, J Neurosci
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“Multi-modal” region1: anterior medial temporal
Wang, Peelen, Han, He, Caramazza, & Bi, 2015, J Neurosci
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“Visual” regions
Wang, Peelen, Han, He, Caramazza, & Bi, 2015, J Neurosci
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VOTC
Animate
Artifact
More “isolated” from nonvisual properties
More transparent mapping
with action/function representation
easily accessed by diff modalities
More “visual”
More “multimodal”
Bi Y., Wang X. & Caramazza A., 2016, Trends Cog Sci
 Linking anatomical features to large‐scale functional maps in the ventral temporal cortex
Grill‐Spector, K., & Weiner, K.S., 2014, Nat Rev Neurosci
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Plasticity – different representation in blind and sighted?
Testing the “shape” knowledge explicitly…
Artifact “multimodal” shape representation
Shape similarity ratings
Independent rating
0.84**
0.88**
0.84**
• R between shape and tactile: .00
Peelen, He, Han, Caramazza, Bi, 2014, J Neurosci
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IT: Shape knowledge in blind and sighted
IT
Peelen, He, Han, Caramazza, Bi, 2014, J Neurosci
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Relationship between perception and knowledge?
Shape on ventral visual pathway (VOTC): Visual format?
YES for animals; NO for artifacts
How are different types of knowledge bound together?
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Structural connections supporting object concept
 White matter tract integrity in 87 patients with brain damage
?
Sound naming
Picture naming
Picture associative matching
Han, Z., Ma, Y., Gong, G., He, Y., Caramazza, A., Bi, Y., 2013. Brain
Structural connections for object concept
Lesion volume
IFG, pSTG/MTG,
SPL/IPL/FFG/OECT/D
LPFC…
Thalamas-IFG
Temporal lobe-IFG
Han, Z., Ma, Y., Gong, G., He, Y., Caramazza, A., Bi, Y., 2013. Brain
Mean FA
Functional connections for object processing efficiency
Healthy Ss
Resting-state fMRI
Sound naming
Picture naming
Picture associative matching
pMTG
Wei, T., Liang, X., He, Y., Zang, Y., Han, Z., Caramazza, A., Bi, Y., 2012. J. Neurosci.
Functional connectivity patterns predict object domain task states
0.01‐0.1 Hz
Positive FC
All FCs
(N = 4296) (N = 36110)
Category pairwise classification
Face‐Scene
95%
100%
Face‐Animal
85%
85%
Face‐Tool
93%
98%
Scene‐
100%
95%
Animal
Scene‐Tool
95%
90%
Animal‐Tool
93%
93%
Multi‐category classification
85%
83%
Wang et al., 2016, Human Brain Mapp
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Wang et al., in prep
How are different types of knowledge bound together?
By rich structural and functional connections, which MATTER for object recognition: • Lesions lead to deficits; • Strength correlates with efficiency; • Patterns predict states
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Conclusions
“carving the nature at its joints” ‐‐ Plato
“Human brain is a ‘nature carver’ ‐‐ Evolution ‘develops’ different brain templates for processing different object domains of evolutionary signifiance, through local and connections properties”
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Acknowledgment
Concept Lab at BNU
Collaborators
Alfonso Caramazza, Harvard/CiMec Italy
Marius Peelen, CiMec, Italy
Yong He, BNU
Gaolang Gong, BNU
Zaizhu Han, BNU
Xiaoying Wang
Xiaosha Wang
Yuxing Fang
Tao Wei
Chenxi He
Funding agencies
National Natural Science Foundation China
973 program, Ministry of Science and
Techonology, China
Beijing Natural Science Foundation
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