Spatial Reorganization of Object Representations in High-Level Visual Cortex Distinguishes Working Memory from Perception

Abstract

The human visual system balances veridical object visual perception with flexible object visual working memory (VWM), both relying on high-level visual regions. However, how these competing demands shape spatial representations remains unclear. Here, we ask whether VWM inherits the spatial constraints observed in the lateral occipital complex (LOC) during perception, or instead reorganizes these representations to meet mnemonic demands. Using matched bilateral presentation paradigms and fMRI-based decoding, we systematically compared spatial representations during perception and VWM. This approach revealed a striking dissociation: during perception, object information is largely confined to the contralateral LOC, whereas during VWM, robust ipsilateral representations emerge--even when both hemifields must be remembered. Vertex-ablation analyses revealed that VWM engages 70-90% of ipsilateral LOC territories, far exceeding those recruited during unilateral perception. Neither increased attentional span nor top-down feedback from association areas fully explained this expansion; rather, ipsilateral LOC patterns closely mirrored contralateral sensory representations, implicating interhemispheric coordination in VWM. Together, these findings demonstrate that object VWM flexibly recruits distributed high-level visual cortex, with spatial reorganization distinguishing mnemonic flexibility from perceptual fidelity.