Bodies in motion: Unraveling the distinct roles of motion and shape in dynamic body responses in the temporal cortex

The temporal cortex represents social stimuli, including bodies. We examine and compare the contributions of dynamic and static features to the single-unit responses to moving monkey bodies in and between a patch in the anterior dorsal bank of the superior temporal sulcus (dorsal patch [DP]) and patches in the anterior in-ferotemporal cortex (ventral patch [VP]), using fMRI guidance in macaques. The response to dynamics varies within both regions, being higher in DP. The dynamic body selectivity of VP neurons correlates with static features derived from convolutional neural networks and motion. DP neurons' dynamic body selectivity is not predicted by static features but is dominated by motion. Whereas these data support the dominance of motion in the newly proposed dynamic social perceptionstream, they challenge the traditional view that distinguishes DP and VP processing in terms of motion versus static features, underscoring the role of inferotemporal neurons in representing body dynamics.

Automated summary

This study examines and compares the contributions of dynamic and static features to the single-unit responses in the temporal cortex. The results show that dynamic body stimuli evoke stronger responses in the dorsal patch compared to the ventral patch. The dynamic body selectivity of neurons in the ventral patch is influenced by both static features and motion, while the dynamic body selectivity in the dorsal patch is primarily driven by motion.