# Function of high-level visual cortex in awake infants.

> **NIH NIH F99** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2021 · $44,533

## Abstract

Project Summary
Functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) has revealed two major principles of the functional organization
of the ventral temporal cortex (VTC) in human adults. First, some regions of VTC respond selectively to a specific
category of stimuli, such as the fusiform face area (FFA) which responds more to faces than to any other stimulus
category. The second principle of organization is that different categories of stimuli have systematically distinct
patterns of response across the entire VTC. How do these two key aspects of VTC functional organization in
adults arise in development? The goal of my research program is to discover if these organizing principles are
present in the infant brain (Aims 1 and 2) and design computational models to test different theories of cortical
development (Aim 3).
The dissertation work in this proposal will provide invaluable data toward the goal of refining theories of cortical
development. In addition to innovations that enhance the quality of awake infant fMRI data, Aim 1 provides the
first evidence that like adults, infants have face-selective responses in the FFA, scene-selective responses in
the parahippocampal place area (PPA), and body-selective responses in the extrastriate body area (EBA).
Aim 2 directly follows this up by asking if infants have systematically distinct patterns of response across higher-
level visual areas that are similar to those found in the adult brain. The F99 phase of this proposal will provide
training to optimize machine learning (ML) techniques that can withstand the unique challenges of infant fMRI
data – specifically unbalanced and missing data. The F99 phase will be conducted at MIT, an intellectual
environment with access to leaders in the fields of ML, cognitive neuroscience, and computational neuroscience.
Finally, Aim 3 of this proposal is to build computational models designed to test current theories of cortical
development. The K00 phase of this proposal will provide training on the design and implementation of artificial
neural networks (ANNs) models as well as training on the best methods to test ANN models using infant fMRI
data. Research for the K00 phase will provide a new mentorship experience with an established investigator in
computational neuroscience and will take place at an institution with a thriving intellectual environment that has
access to an MRI scanner and the computational resources necessary to build a variety of ANN models.
In summary, the objective of the proposed research is to determine if the principles of functional organization in
the adult brain are present in infants. Insights from this proposal will advance and refine theories of cortical
development and have the potential to be applicable to other domains such audition and language. Further, by
combining my predoctoral training in awake infant fMRI with my proposed postdoctoral training in computational
modeling, the proposed research will enable me to become an indepe...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10319402
- **Project number:** 1F99NS124175-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather Lynne Kosakowski
- **Activity code:** F99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $44,533
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2022-05-26

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10319402

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10319402, Function of high-level visual cortex in awake infants. (1F99NS124175-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10319402. Licensed CC0.

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