Effect of viewing distance on object responses in macaque areas 45B, F5a and F5p

To perform tasks like grasping, the brain has to process visual object information so that the grip aperture can be adjusted before touching the object. Previous studies have demonstrated that the posterior subsector of the Anterior Intraparietal area is connected to area 45B, and its anterior counterpart to F5a. However, the role of area 45B and F5a in visually-guided grasping is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of area 45B, F5a and F5p in object processing during visually-guided grasping in two monkeys. We tested whether the presentation of an object in near peripersonal space activated F5p neurons more than objects with the same retinal size presented beyond reachable distance and conversely, whether neurons in 45B and F5a—which may encode a purely visual object representation—were less affected by viewing distance when equalizing retinal size. Contrary to our expectations, we found that most neurons in area 45B were object- and viewing distance-selective, and preferred mostly Near presentations. Area F5a showed much weaker object selectivity compared to 45B, with a similar preference for objects presented at the Near position. Finally, F5p neurons were less object selective and frequently Far-preferring. In sum, area 45B—but not F5p– prefers objects presented in peripersonal space.