{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T14:07:35Z","timestamp":1777471655675,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MIT Press - Journals","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":["direct.mit.edu"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Target objects required for goal-directed behavior are typically embedded within multiple irrelevant objects that may interfere with their encoding. Most neuroimaging studies of high-level visual cortex have examined the representation of isolated objects, and therefore, little is known about how surrounding objects influence the neural representation of target objects. To investigate the effect of different types of clutter on the distributed responses to target objects in high-level visual areas, we used fMRI and manipulated the type of clutter. Specifically, target objects (i.e., a face and a house) were presented either in isolation, in the presence of a homogeneous (identical objects from another category) clutter (\u201cpop-out\u201d display), or in the presence of a heterogeneous (different objects) clutter, while participants performed a target identification task. Using multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) we found that in the posterior fusiform object area a heterogeneous but not homogeneous clutter interfered with decoding of the target objects. Furthermore, multivoxel patterns evoked by isolated objects were more similar to multivoxel patterns evoked by homogenous compared with heterogeneous clutter in the lateral occipital and posterior fusiform object areas. Interestingly, there was no effect of clutter on the neural representation of the target objects in their category-selective areas, such as the fusiform face area and the parahippocampal place area. Our findings show that the variation among irrelevant surrounding objects influences the neural representation of target objects in the object general area, but not in object category-selective cortex, where the representation of target objects is invariant to their surroundings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn_a_00505","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,10,21]],"date-time":"2013-10-21T16:22:32Z","timestamp":1382372552000},"page":"490-500","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1162\/mitpressjournals.corrections.policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Clutter Modulates the Representation of Target Objects in the Human Occipitotemporal Cortex"],"prefix":"10.1162","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Yaara","family":"Erez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Galit","family":"Yovel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"281","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021073000372748100_R1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"794","DOI":"10.1162\/089892904970825","article-title":"Shape saliency modulates contextual processing in the human lateral occipital complex.","volume":"16","author":"Altmann","year":"2004","journal-title":"Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2442","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.4770-11.2012","article-title":"Hierarchical processing of face viewpoint in human visual cortex.","volume":"32","author":"Axelrod","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1110","DOI":"10.1038\/nn1501","article-title":"Stimulus context modulates competition in human extrastriate cortex.","volume":"8","author":"Beck","year":"2005","journal-title":"Nature Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1163\/156856897X00357","article-title":"The psychophysics toolbox.","volume":"10","author":"Brainard","year":"1997","journal-title":"Spatial Vision"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R5","unstructured":"Brett, M., \n            \n              Anton, J. L., \n            \n              Valabregue, R., & \n            \n              Poline, J. B.\n           (2002). Region of interest analysis using an SPM toolbox[abstract]. Presented at the 8th International Conference on Functional Mapping of the Human Brain, June 2\u20136, 2002, Sendai, Japan. Available on CD-ROM in Neuroimage, Vol. 16, No. 2, Abstract 497."},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1102","DOI":"10.1038\/nn1507","article-title":"Visual field maps and stimulus selectivity in human ventral occipital cortex.","volume":"8","author":"Brewer","year":"2005","journal-title":"Nature Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.112.2.291","article-title":"A neural theory of visual attention: Bridging cognition and neurophysiology.","volume":"112","author":"Bundesen","year":"2005","journal-title":"Psychological Review"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1446","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2010.12.006","article-title":"A neural theory of visual attention and short-term memory (NTVA).","volume":"49","author":"Bundesen","year":"2011","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.96.3.433","article-title":"Visual search and stimulus similarity.","volume":"96","author":"Duncan","year":"1989","journal-title":"Psychological Review"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"479","DOI":"10.1016\/S0896-6273(02)00662-1","article-title":"Eccentricity bias as an organizing principle for human high-order object areas.","volume":"34","author":"Hasson","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2425","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1063736","article-title":"Distributed and overlapping representations of faces and objects in ventral temporal cortex.","volume":"293","author":"Haxby","year":"2001","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"523","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn1931","article-title":"Decoding mental states from brain activity in humans.","volume":"7","author":"Haynes","year":"2006","journal-title":"Nature Reviews Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1707","DOI":"10.1016\/j.visres.2004.12.021","article-title":"At first sight: A high-level pop out effect for faces.","volume":"45","author":"Hershler","year":"2005","journal-title":"Vision Research"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn_a_00298","article-title":"Neural representation of targets and distractors during object individuation and identification.","volume":"25","author":"Jeong","year":"2013","journal-title":"Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108","DOI":"10.1126\/science.282.5386.108","article-title":"Mechanisms of directed attention in the human extrastriate cortex as revealed by functional MRI.","volume":"282","author":"Kastner","year":"1998","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"587","DOI":"10.1017\/S095252389916317X","article-title":"Neuronal responses to orientation and motion contrast in cat striate cortex.","volume":"16","author":"Kastner","year":"1999","journal-title":"Visual Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"961","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.1992.67.4.961","article-title":"Neuronal responses to static texture patterns in area V1 of the alert macaque monkey.","volume":"67","author":"Knierim","year":"1992","journal-title":"Journal of Neurophysiology"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2009.04.020","article-title":"Decoding the representation of multiple simultaneous objects in human occipitotemporal cortex.","volume":"19","author":"MacEvoy","year":"2009","journal-title":"Current Biology"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1323","DOI":"10.1038\/nn.2903","article-title":"Constructing scenes from objects in human occipitotemporal cortex.","volume":"14","author":"MacEvoy","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nature Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2010.05.051","article-title":"Comparison of multivariate classifiers and response normalizations for pattern-information fMRI.","volume":"53","author":"Misaki","year":"2010","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1937","DOI":"10.1016\/0042-6989(93)90020-W","article-title":"The role of features in preattentive vision: Comparison of orientation, motion and color cues.","volume":"33","author":"Nothdurft","year":"1993","journal-title":"Vision Research"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1017\/S0952523899156189","article-title":"Response modulation by texture surround in primate area V1: Correlates of \u201cpopout\u201d under anesthesia.","volume":"16","author":"Nothdurft","year":"1999","journal-title":"Visual Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1333","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.3885-10.2011","article-title":"Disentangling scene content from spatial boundary: Complementary roles for the parahippocampal place area and lateral occipital complex in representing real-world scenes.","volume":"31","author":"Park","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"94","DOI":"10.1038\/nature08103","article-title":"Neural mechanisms of rapid natural scene categorization in human visual cortex.","volume":"460","author":"Peelen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12125","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1101042108","article-title":"A neural basis for real-world visual search in human occipitotemporal cortex.","volume":"108","author":"Peelen","year":"2011","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A."},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2067","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2007.10.043","article-title":"Category selectivity in the ventral visual pathway confers robustness to clutter and diverted attention.","volume":"17","author":"Reddy","year":"2007","journal-title":"Current Biology"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21447","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0907330106","article-title":"Attention and biased competition in multi-voxel object representations.","volume":"106","author":"Reddy","year":"2009","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A."},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1736","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.19-05-01736.1999","article-title":"Competitive mechanisms subserve attention in macaque areas V2 and V4.","volume":"19","author":"Reynolds","year":"1999","journal-title":"Journal of Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4447","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0800431105","article-title":"The distribution of category and location information across object-selective regions in human visual cortex.","volume":"105","author":"Schwarzlose","year":"2008","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A."},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11812","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.1693-12.2012","article-title":"Neural evidence for distracter suppression during visual search in real-world scenes.","volume":"32","author":"Seidl","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Neuroscience"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2008.07.043","article-title":"Estimating the influence of attention on population codes in human visual cortex using voxel-based tuning functions.","volume":"44","author":"Serences","year":"2009","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1350","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1063695","article-title":"Mapping of contralateral space in retinotopic coordinates by a parietal cortical area in humans.","volume":"294","author":"Sereno","year":"2001","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.95.1.15","article-title":"Feature analysis in early vision: Evidence from search asymmetries.","volume":"95","author":"Treisman","year":"1988","journal-title":"Psychological Review"},{"key":"2021073000372748100_R34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8150","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.2058-05.2005","article-title":"Multiple object response normalization in monkey inferotemporal cortex.","volume":"25","author":"Zoccolan","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Neuroscience"}],"container-title":["Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/jocn\/article-pdf\/26\/3\/490\/1946763\/jocn_a_00505.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"http:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/jocn\/article-pdf\/26\/3\/490\/1946763\/jocn_a_00505.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,30]],"date-time":"2021-07-30T00:40:27Z","timestamp":1627605627000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/jocn\/article\/26\/3\/490\/28079\/Clutter-Modulates-the-Representation-of-Target"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1162\/jocn_a_00505","relation":{},"ISSN":["0898-929X","1530-8898"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0898-929X","type":"print"},{"value":"1530-8898","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2014,3]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,1]]}}}