Common and Specific Activations Supporting Optic Flow Processing and Navigation As Revealed by a Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

Overview

Journal Brain Struct Funct

Specialty Neurology

Date 2024 Apr 9

PMID 38592557

Authors

Valentina Sulpizio

Alice Teghil

Sabrina Pitzalis

Maddalena Boccia

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Optic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and allocentric navigation. Optic flow processing shared activation with egocentric (but not allocentric) navigation in the anterior precuneus, suggesting its role in providing information about self-motion, as derived from the analysis of optic flow, in service of egocentric navigation. We further documented that optic flow perception and navigation are partially segregated into two functional and anatomical networks, i.e., the dorsal and the ventromedial networks. Present results point to a dynamic interplay between the dorsal and ventral visual pathways aimed at coordinating visually guided navigation in the environment.

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