Biology subjects

Osher, D. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Osher, D. E..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Configural and featural processing, and their role in the face network

Object recognition can rely on the detection of individual features, as well as the spatial configuration of features, which is especially prominent in the identification of faces. We previously showed that canonical 'face effects' (e.g., inversion, part-whole) can be elicited by non-face stimuli that are identified strictly by configuration, but not in stimuli that are identified by features. Here we asked 1) whether there exist distinct neural bases that support domain-general configural vs. featural processing; and 2) how domain-specific face-areas may respond and interact with these processors. We trained adults to recognize these configural and featural stimuli, and then used fMRI to observe neural responses associated with each type of processing. Configural stimuli drove responses in superior parietal, superior frontal, and lateral occipitotemporal cortices, while featural stimuli primarily elicited responses in the ventral fusiform gyrus. Next, we identified face-areas with a separate fMRI localizer; the Occipital Face Area (previously linked to the identification of face parts) was selectively activated during recognition of featural stimuli, while the Fusiform Face Area was ambivalent, preferring neither configural nor featural stimuli. The posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus face-area, typically involved in the moveable aspects of faces (e.g. facial expressions), selectively responded to configural stimuli over featural stimuli. Finally, we observed that the functional connectivity of these face-areas to configural or featural regions mirrored this functional pattern. These domain-general processors and their differential connectivity with the face network may offer a mechanism by which face-areas use this information to accomplish their distinct roles in face perception.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

A Tripartite Map of the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) has been repeatedly implicated in affect, valuation, and social cognition, yet how these diverse functions are organized within a single cortical territory has remained unresolved. Here, we integrate large-scale meta-analysis, individual-level task fMRI, artificial neural-network encoding models, and multimodal connectivity analyses to reveal the internal functional architecture of the human VMPFC. Across four complementary studies, we identify a robust tripartite organization along the anterior-posterior axis, comprising posterior affective, middle valuation, and anterior social functional motifs. Connectivity fingerprinting demonstrates that each motif is preferentially embedded within distinct large-scale brain networks, providing a mechanistic account of VMPFC functional specialization. This organization is reproducible at the level of individual subjects, generalizes to naturalistic stimuli, extends across development, and shows cross-species correspondence with non-human primates and multiple neurobiological markers. Together, these findings resolve a long-standing organizational question and establish a biologically grounded framework for interpreting VMPFC function.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Hierarchical and non-hierarchical network flows generate complementary representational dynamics in human visual cortex

Hierarchy is considered a fundamental organizing principle of visual cortex, but its functional implications remain debated given the presence of direct (non-hierarchical) connections. Building on recent advances in measuring direct region-to-region functional connectivity in the human brain, and in using that connectivity (rather than, e.g., visual classification training) to construct deep neural network models, we tested the hypothesis that hierarchical and direct connectivity pathways make distinct contributions to the generation of visual functionality. Detailed measurement of visual functionality, connectivity, and their interaction was achieved using 7T MRI and empirical neural network (ENN) models parameterized by empirical connectivity estimates. The classic V1 to V4 hierarchy was recovered in terms of (i) network distance from V1 along the human brains direct region-to-region resting-state functional connectome and (ii) on-task representational transformation distance (visual representation dissimilarity) from V1. In silico ENN lesion experiments revealed that hierarchical pathways (V1{leftrightarrow}V2{leftrightarrow}V3{leftrightarrow}V4) reduce the dimensionality of neural representations relative to more rapid and high-dimensional representational contributions from direct pathways (e.g., V1{leftrightarrow}V4). These findings reveal distinct but complementary roles of hierarchical and direct pathways in generating cortical functionality. Significance StatementHierarchy is a foundational organizing principle of cortex, yet its functional consequences remain unclear because of direct, non-hierarchical connections. The visual system, often portrayed as the clearest example of cortical hierarchy, provides a testbed for dissociating hierarchical and non-hierarchical contributions. Using high-resolution 7T MRI with recent advances in measuring direct region-to-region functional connectivity, we mapped the classic V1 to V4 hierarchy in the human brain. Using empirical neural network (ENN) models parameterized by these empirical connections, we determined that hierarchical pathways (V1{leftrightarrow}V2{leftrightarrow}V3{leftrightarrow}V4) reduce representational dimensionality relative to more rapid, high-dimensional contributions from direct pathways (e.g., V1{leftrightarrow}V4). These results reveal complementary hierarchical and direct contributions and establish ENN modeling as a general approach for determining pathway-specific functions throughout the brain.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Functional Dissociation in the Developing Superior Temporal Lobe: Language and Theory of Mind

Language and theory of mind (ToM; the ability to infer others mental states) are both crucial for human communication and yet their developmental origins are unclear. Are their neural substrates distinct within the superior temporal lobe (STL) but with opposing lateralization, as in adults? Or do they emerge from common neural substrates during development, perhaps in homologous regions originally involved in more basic social processing? Here we investigate the development of this functional dissociation, and the dissociation of their underlying connectivity fingerprints in a large cohort of children (ages 4-9 years, n=58 sessions) and adults (n=29). We demonstrate for the first time that children show distinct patterns of neural specificity for language and ToM in STL, just like adults. Children show no evidence of developmental disentangling cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Finally, childrens connectivity fingerprints predicting future language or ToM activation are almost identical to concurrent fingerprints and are largely non-overlapping across domains. While linguistic and ToM processing undergo continued neural specialization to reach the mature adult-like state, they are distinct remarkably early in human development. Our results challenge the idea that language develops from neural processors common for social communication and instead support distinct neural origins of these mental domains.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Connectivity and function are coupled across cognitive domains throughout the brain

Decades of neuroimaging have revealed that the functional organization of the brain is roughly consistent across individuals and at rest it is resembles group-level task-evoked networks. A fundamental assumption in the field is that the functional specialization of a brain region arises from its connections to the rest of the brain, but limitations in the amount of data that can be feasibly collected in a single individual, leaves open the question: Is the association between task activation and connectivity consistent across the brain and many cognitive tasks? To answer this question, we fit ridge regressions models to activation maps from 33 cognitive domains (generated with NeuroQuery) using resting-state functional connectivity data from the Human Connectome Project as the predictor. We examine how well functional connectivity fits activation and find that all regions and all cognitive domains have a very robust relationship between brain activity and connectivity. The tightest relationship exists for higher-order, domain-general cognitive functions. These results support the claim that connectivity is a general organizational principle of brain function by comprehensively testing this relationship in a large sample of individuals for a broad range of cognitive domains and provide a reference for future studies engaging in individualized predictive models.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Isolated Configuration: Holistic Processing Beyond the Realm of Faces

Holistic processing of visual stimuli has long been regarded as unique to faces, or otherwise extended to other object categories given sufficient expertise. We designed novel abstract stimuli that are recognizable strictly by configural information, and matched control stimuli that require the use of only featural information. We then tested four classic markers of holistic perception: inversion, misalignment, part-whole, and composite effects. We found that second-order configuration stimuli elicited robust holistic effects, while featural stimuli do not, showing that such effects emerge specifically when recognition depends on configural information, but not when it relies on featural cues. We further observed that first-order configuration stimuli were also sufficient to induce holistic effects, indicating that holistic processing can emerge from multiple levels of configural information. We also found a significant correlation between individual differences in face recognition ability and holistic processing effects with the second-order configuration stimuli, but not with the first order configuration stimuli, nor the featural stimuli. Lastly, convolutional neural networks trained on the same stimuli reproduced these patterns, strengthening the interpretation that holistic processing arises when configural information must be used to recognize a stimulus. Together, these findings demonstrate that holistic processing is fundamentally rooted in the representation of spatial configuration, with second-order relations providing the critical link to face recognition ability.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

The intrinsic neonatal hippocampal network: rsfMRI findings

Many adults cannot voluntarily recall memories before the ages of 3-5, a phenomenon referred to as "infantile amnesia" The development of the hippocampal network likely plays a significant part in the emergence of the ability to form long-lasting memories. In adults, the hippocampus has specialized and privileged connections with certain cortical networks, which presumably facilitate its involvement in memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Is the hippocampus already specialized in these cortical connections at birth? And are the topographical principles of connectivity (e.g. long-axis specialization) present at birth? We analyzed resting-state hippocampal connectivity in neonates scanned within one week of birth (Developmental Human Connectome Project) and compared them to adults (Human Connectome Project). We explored the connections of the whole hippocampus and its long-axis specialization to seven canonical cortical networks. We found that the neonatal hippocampal networks show clear immaturity at birth: adults showed hippocampal connectivity that was unique for each cortical network, whereas neonates showed no differentiation in hippocampal connectivity across these networks. Further, neonates lacked long-axis specialization (i.e., along anterior-posterior axis) of the hippocampus in its differential connectivity patterns to the cortical networks. This immaturity in connectivity may contribute to immaturity in memory formation in the first years of life. "New and Noteworthy"While animal data, and anatomical and behavioral human data from young children suggest that the hippocampus is immature at birth, to date, there are no direct assessments of human hippocampal functional connectivity (FC) very early in life. Our study explores the FC of the hippocampus to the cortex at birth, allowing insight into the development of human memory systems.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Cortical selectivity driven by connectivity: Innate connectivity patterns of the visual word form area

What determines the functional organization of cortex? One hypothesis is that innate connectivity patterns set up a scaffold upon which functional specialization can later take place. We tested this hypothesis by asking whether the visual word form area (VWFA), an experience-driven region, was already connected to proto language networks in neonates scanned within one week of birth. With resting-state fMRI, we found that neonates showed adult-like functional connectivity, and observed that i) language regions connected more strongly with the putative VWFA than other adjacent ventral visual regions that also show foveal bias, and ii) the VWFA connected more strongly with frontotemporal language regions than with regions adjacent to these language regions. These data suggest that the location of the VWFA is earmarked at birth due to its connectivity with the language network, providing evidence that innate connectivity instructs the later refinement of cortex.

neuroscience↗