Mapping how the brain recognizes faces, places, and bodies
Towards a computationally precise characterization of the human ventral visual pathway
This project uses MRI brain scans and AI models to map how different parts of the visual brain respond when people view faces, scenes, and bodies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307652 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would view hundreds of images while researchers record detailed fMRI brain activity to capture responses across the ventral visual cortex. The team will use deep neural network models plus human-interpretable tools like image synthesis and saliency maps to link image features to brain responses. Early work focuses on known category-selective areas for faces, places, and bodies, and later work will examine the larger visual cortex that lies outside those regions. Closed-loop experiments will test model predictions by showing images designed to probe specific brain representations.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with or without acquired brain injury who can safely undergo MRI and follow simple image-viewing tasks are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who cannot have MRI (for example because of metal implants, pacemakers, or severe claustrophobia) or who cannot comply with visual-task instructions are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve how we diagnose and rehabilitate visual processing problems after brain injury and inform future brain-computer interfaces.
How similar studies have performed: Prior fMRI and computational-model research has mapped category-selective brain areas, and this project builds on those successes by using much larger stimulus sets and novel closed-loop modeling.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Georgia Institute of Technology — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ratan Murty, N Apurva — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Ratan Murty, N Apurva
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.