Priority map theory is a leading framework for understanding how various aspects of stimulus displays and task demands guide visual attention. Per this theory, the visual system computes a priority map, which is a representation of visual space indexing the relative importance, or priority, of locations in the environment. Priority is computed based on both salience, defined based on image-computable properties; and relevance, defined by an individual's current goals, and is used to direct attention to the highest-priority locations for further processing. Computational theories suggest that priority maps identify salient locations based on individual feature dimensions (e.g., color, motion), which are integrated into an aggregate priority map. While widely accepted, a core assumption of this framework, the existence of independent feature dimension maps in visual cortex, remains untested. Here, we tested the hypothesis that retinotopic regions selective for specific feature dimensions (color or motion) in human cortex act as neural feature dimension maps, indexing salient locations based on their preferred feature. We used fMRI activation patterns to reconstruct spatial maps while male and female human participants viewed stimuli with salient regions defined by relative color or motion direction. Activation in reconstructed spatial maps was localized to the salient stimulus position in the display. Moreover, the strength of the stimulus representation was strongest in the ROI selective for the salience-defining feature. Together, these results suggest that feature-selective extrastriate visual regions highlight salient locations based on local feature contrast within their preferred feature dimensions, supporting their role as neural feature dimension maps.

Daniel D. Thayer

Thomas C. Sprague

Journal of Neuroscience

JNEUROSCI (ISSN 0270-6474) 是神经科学学会的官方期刊。它由协会每周出版，一年五十周，一年一卷。 JNEUROSCI 发表的论文涉及神经系统研究人员普遍感兴趣的广泛主题。作者现在可以为其发表的文章提供开放选择选项

The Journal of Neuroscience (ISSN 0270-6474) is the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. It is published weekly, with fifty issues per year, forming one volume annually. The journal publishes papers covering a wide range of topics of interest to researchers in the field of neuroscience. Authors now have the option to provide open access for their published articles.

《Journal of Neuroscience》（ISSN 0270-6474）是神经科学学会的官方期刊。该期刊每周出版一次，每年出版五十期，形成一卷。期刊发表的论文涵盖了神经系统研究领域的广泛主题，旨在满足研究人员的兴趣。此外，作者现在可以为其发表的文章选择开放获取选项。

Category	Quartile
医学	2
医学, 神经科学	2

Feature-Specific Salience Maps in Human Cortex

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