Data from: Effective connectivity of depth-structure-selective patches in the lateral bank of the macaque intraparietal sulcus

Extrastriate cortical areas are frequently composed of subpopulations of
neurons encoding specific features or stimuli, such as color, disparity,
or faces, and patches of neurons encoding similar stimulus properties are
typically embedded in interconnected networks, such as the attention or
face-processing network. The goal of the current study was to examine the
effective connectivity of subsectors of neurons in the same cortical area
with highly similar neuronal response properties. We first recorded
single- and multi-unit activity to identify two neuronal patches in the
anterior part of the macaque intraparietal sulcus (IPS) showing the same
depth structure selectivity and then employed electrical microstimulation
during functional magnetic resonance imaging in these patches to determine
the effective connectivity of these patches. The two IPS subsectors we
identified—with the same neuronal response properties and in some cases
separated by only 3 mm—were effectively connected to remarkably distinct
cortical networks in both dorsal and ventral stream in three macaques.
Conversely, the differences in effective connectivity could account for
the known visual-to-motor gradient within the anterior IPS. These results
clarify the role of the anterior IPS as a pivotal brain region where
dorsal and ventral visual stream interact during object analysis. Thus, in
addition to the anatomical connectivity of cortical areas and the
properties of individual neurons in these areas, the effective
connectivity provides novel key insights into the widespread functional
networks that support behavior.