Temporal cortex participates in spontaneous perceptual reversal

The Necker cube is perceived as two distinct three-dimensional forms; participants experience alternationbetween two mutually exclusive perceptions. Perceptualdominance for one form tends to be maintained when thevisual stimulus is intermittently removed. The effect isenhanced with the Necker lattice (an array of Neckercubes). Neural processes underlying perceptual reversaland stabilization are unknown. Functional MRI was used toinvestigate the brain regions involved. Regional activationdiffered between endogenous and stimulus-drivenperceptual reversals, and between reversal andstabilization. Our results indicated that the right anteriorportion of superior temporal sulcus is likely to be involvedin perceptual stabilization (perceptual memory), whereasreversal is modulated by destabilizing influences from theright frontal lobe. NeuroReport 20:647–651