Functional streams in occipito-frontal connections in the monkey

Abstract

It is known that the prestriate cortical regions that project to area LIP in parietal cortex and to areas TEO and TE in temporal cortex are mostly separated. Two separate streams of information transfer from occipital cortex can thus be distinguished. We wished to determine whether the parietal and temporal streams remain segregated in their projections to frontal cortex. Paired injections of retrograde fluorescent tracers were placed in parietal and temporal cortex, or in the lateral and medial parts of the frontal eye field (FEF). The cortical regions containing retrogradely labeled cells were reconstructed in two-dimensional maps. The results show that temporal cortex mainly projects to lateral FEF (area 45). Parietal cortex sends projections to medial FEF (area 8a) and to lateral FEF, as well as to area 46. Thus, the parietal and temporal streams converge in lateral FEF. Most of the occipital regions projecting to medial FEF are the same as those projecting to parietal cortex, whereas lateral FEF receives afferents from the same occipital regions as those sending projections to temporal cortex. Thus, one can distinguish two interconnected networks. One is associated with the inferotemporal cortex and includes areas of the ventral bank and fundus of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), lateral FEF and ventral prestriate cortex. This network emphasizes central vision, small saccades and form recognition. The other network is linked to cortex of the intraparietal sulcus. It consists of areas of the upper bank and fundus of STS, medial FEF and dorsal prestriate cortex. These areas encode peripheral visual field and are active during large saccades.