Distinct attentional characteristics of neurons with visual feature coding in the primate brain

Visual attention and object recognition are two critical cognitive
functions that shape our perception of the world. While these neural
processes converge in the temporal cortex, the nature of their
interactions remains largely unclear. Here, we systematically investigated
the interplay between visual attention and object feature coding by
training macaques to perform a free-gaze visual search task with natural
stimuli. Recording from a large number of units across multiple brain
areas, we found that units exhibiting visual feature coding showed
stronger attentional modulation of responses and spike-LFP coherence than
units without feature coding. Across brain areas, attention directed
towards search targets enhanced the neuronal pattern separation of
stimuli, with this enhancement more pronounced for units encoding visual
features. Together, our results suggest a complex interplay between visual
feature and attention coding in the primate brain, likely driven by
interactions between brain areas engaged in these processes.