Two distinct scene processing networks connecting vision and memory

Abstract

A number of regions in the human brain are known to be involved in processing natural scenes, but the field has lacked a unifying framework for understanding how these different regions are organized and interact. We provide evidence from functional connectivity and meta-analyses for a new organizational principle, in which scene processing relies on two distinct networks that split the classically defined Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA). The first network consists of the Occipital Place Area (OPA/TOS) and posterior PPA, which contain retinotopic maps and are related primarily to visual features. The second network consists of the caudal Inferior Parietal Lobule (cIPL), Retrosplenial Cortex (RSC), and anterior PPA, which connect to the hippocampus and are involved in a much broader set of tasks involving episodic memory and navigation. This new framework for understandingthe neural substrates of scene processing bridges results from many lines of research, and makes specific functional predictions.