VOLUME LXXIII | JAN 2023

An expanded neural framework for shape perception

In the vast dance party of the brain, we’ve always thought the dance floor known as the ventral visual pathway was responsible for shape-based representation and object recognition. But hold up! According to a new Opinion paper, it turns out that the ventral pathway might actually be vibing more with local object features, leaving the global shape representations to groove with the dorsal pathway. A commentary on this paper has raised intriguing questions that we need to address in order to fully understand this intricate neural dance. Can you imagine? The brain, busting a move to create our perception of shapes! Understanding how these pathways interact could unlock a whole new level of insight into our visual processing. So, put on your dancing shoes and follow the link below to dive into the world of neural networking and explore this captivating research!

Aiyana Tremblay

Aiyana is an Indigenous educator from Alberta, with a background in environmental science and community wellness programs. She volunteers as an author to explore how traditional knowledge intersects with modern neuroscience to unlock human resilience and potential.

A longstanding perspective in neuroscience is that the output of the ventral visual pathway is a shape-based representation that supports object recognition across many contexts. In our Opinion paper [1], we questioned this claim and suggested that the ventral pathway, instead, represents local object features and that global shape representations arise through interactions with the dorsal pathway. In her commentary, Xu [2] raises several important questions that must be addressed for our hypothesis to be tractable.
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