A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience has found that the superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain region traditionally thought to help animals orient themselves towards important locations, also plays a role in complex cognitive tasks like visual categorization and decision making. The SC is an evolutionarily ancient brain structure present across all vertebrates, from primitive sharks to modern humans.
Researchers at the University of Chicago measured brain activity patterns in monkeys while they performed a visual decision-making task, involving categorizing images on a computer screen. They found that activity in the SC was even more involved than the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), a region important for visual categorical decisions, in guiding category decisions.
The study’s senior author, David Freedman, noted that it is surprising to find this level of cognitive signal processing in an area traditionally associated with simpler spatial orienting behaviors and reflexive functions. The findings suggest that the SC helps coordinate higher-order cognitive processes traditionally thought to take place in the neocortex.
The researchers’ results show that the SC is involved in complex cognitive behaviors, even when animals do not need to move their eyes or direct their attention to different places. Freedman suggested that this might be a sign that spatial processing provides a special “oomph” to problem-solving, as the brain recruits spatial parts to help perform non-spatial cognitive functions.
In conclusion, this study highlights the surprising role of the superior colliculus in higher cognitive functions, shedding light on the evolutionary conservation and adaptation of ancient brain regions across species.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-brain-region-eye-movements-play.html