Human posterior parietal cortex responds to visual stimuli as early as peristriate occipital cortex

Abstract Much of what is known about the timing of visual processing in the brain is inferred from intracranial studies in monkeys, with human data limited to mainly non-invasive methods with lower spatial resolution. Here, we estimated visual onset latencies from electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings in a patient who was implanted with 112 sub-dural electrodes, distributed across the posterior cortex of the right hemisphere, for pre-surgical evaluation of intractable epilepsy. Functional MRI prior to surgery was used to determine boundaries of visual areas. The patient was presented with images of objects from several categories. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) were calculated across all categories excluding targets, and statistically reliable onset latencies were determined using a bootstrapping procedure over the single trial baseline activity in individual electrodes. The distribution of onset latencies broadly reflected the known hierarchy of visual areas, with the earliest cortical responses in primary visual cortex, and higher areas showing later responses. A clear exception to this pattern was robust, statistically reliable and spatially localized, very early responses on the bank of the posterior intra-parietal sulcus (IPS). The response in the IPS started nearly simultaneously with responses detected in peristriate visual areas, around 60 milliseconds post-stimulus onset. Our results support the notion of early visual processing in the posterior parietal lobe, not respecting traditional hierarchies, and give direct evidence for the upper limit of onset times of visual responses across the human cortex.