Scene perception-memory pairing extends to superior parietal cortex

Authors

Tang, R. N., Panek, D., Barkoff, L. H., Scrivener, C. L., Silson, E. H., Steel, A.

Abstract

Visual scene analysis relies on a set of scene-selective regions in posterior cerebral cortex (OPA, PPA, MPA), each paired with an anterior memory-responsive counterpart (LPMA, VPMA, MPMA). The interaction between these pairs of regions is thought to integrate visual input with mnemonic context. Recently, a fourth scene-perception area in superior parietal cortex (SPPA/PIGS) was identified, with a proposed role in visually-guided navigation. Whether this region also has an anterior paired memory region is currently unknown. Across two independent fMRI datasets (total N=24, 14 females) using static or dynamic stimuli and distinct memory tasks, we show that recalling visual scenes evokes robust responses in a region (referred to here as SPMA/PIGS-mem) immediately anterior and dorsal to SPPA/PIGS. During resting-state fMRI, SPPA/PIGS preferentially coupled with the other scene-perception areas, while SPMA/PIGS-mem preferentially coupled with the other place memory areas. At the whole-brain level, seed-based connectivity revealed that SPPA/PIGS sits at the confluence of four processing streams spanning regions implicated in egocentric scene perception, map-based navigation, perspective taking, and goal-directed movement. These findings extend the perception-memory motif associated with visual scene processing to a fourth cortical surface. The ubiquitous anatomical coupling between scene-perception and memory processes reflects the importance of this interaction for flexible, context-grounded navigation.

Preprint server: bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 11 May 2026.

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