Uncovering the Locus of Object-Context-Based Modulations in Depth Processing Using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Neural responses of dorsal visual area V7 and lateral occipital complex (LOC) have been shown to correlate with changes in behavioral metrics of depth sensitivity observed as a function of object context, although it is unclear as to whether the behavioral manifestation results from an alteration of early depth-specific responses in V7 or arises as a result of alterations of object-level representations at LOC that subsequently feed back to affect disparity readouts in dorsal cortex. Here, we used online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the roles of these two areas in giving rise to context–disparity interactions. Stimuli were disparity-defined geometric objects rendered as random-dot stereograms, presented in geometrically plausible and implausible variations. Observers’ sensitivity to depth (depth discrimination) or object identity (plausibility discrimination) was indexed while receiving repetitive TMS at one of the two sites of interest (V7, LOC) along with a control site (Cz). TMS over LOC produced results no different from TMS over baseline Cz (and prior no-TMS behavioral work). That is, depth sensitivity was higher for implausible versus plausible objects. Strikingly, TMS over V7 abolished differences in depth sensitivity for implausible versus plausible objects. V7 serves as a key locus in bringing stereosensitivity changes because of object context, perhaps by reweighing stereoscopic data en route to informing object–motoric interactions.