Data from: Spatial reorganization of object representations in high-level visual cortex distinguishes working memory from perception

The visual system balances veridical object perception with flexible
visual working memory (VWM), both engaging high-level visual regions. Yet
how these competing demands shape object-selective cortex (OSC)
representations remains unclear. Here, we ask whether VWM inherits the
spatial constraints observed in the OSC during perception or reorganizes
representations to meet mnemonic demands. Using a matched task design and
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based decoding, we
systematically compared the localization of object-identity
representations during perception and VWM. A robust dissociation emerged:
Perception kept object information largely contralateral, whereas VWM
produced robust ipsilateral representation even when memorizing bilateral
items. These expanded representations exploited over 90 % of ipsilateral
OSC vertices and could not be attributed to increased attentional span.
Critically, the ipsilateral representations closely mirrored contralateral
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.