# Modality-independent representations of object shape in macaque inferotemporal cortex

> **NIH NIH F31** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

Project Summary
Accurate shape perception is crucial to identifying and manipulating objects in our environment. Among our
senses, vision and touch are unique in that they both convey geometric shape. Although haptic and visual
sensory inputs are initially processed along distinct sensory pathways, we experience an object’s shape as a
unified, modality-independent percept. How the brain generates modality-independent representations of
shape remains unknown. Human fMRI studies have identified the lateral occipital complex (LOC) as a key area
for visuo-haptic integration, yet the low spatial resolution of fMRI has failed to reveal the neural code used for
representing object shape. To address this knowledge gap, I propose to study the representations of haptic
and visual shapes in macaque inferotemporal cortex (IT), the homologue of human LOC. Specifically, I will test
the hypothesis that macaque IT creates modality-independent representations of haptic and visual shapes. To
this end, I will record the simultaneous activity of multiple neurons in IT while macaques are exposed to objects
presented as visual images or as 3D-printed haptic objects. First, I will identify if and how IT neurons represent
haptic shapes. Second, I will explore the neural basis of visuo-haptic shape representations in IT. By
elucidating the neural mechanisms by which IT generates modality-independent shape representations, this
research will shed light on how the brain is able to recognize shapes across sensory modalities. Furthermore,
the findings of this project will support the development of next-generation neuroprosthetic implants that can
leverage both haptic and visual sensory input.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10933408
- **Project number:** 5F31EY033205-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** William Grayson Snider
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10933408

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10933408, Modality-independent representations of object shape in macaque inferotemporal cortex (5F31EY033205-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10933408. Licensed CC0.

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