{
  "abstract": "How does the primate brain coordinate plasticity when learning to discriminate new objects? We measured consequences of object learning on inferior temporal (IT) cortex, a key waypoint supporting object recognition in the ventral visual stream, in male macaques. Neural activity in task-trained monkeys' IT showed increased object selectivity, enhanced linear separability across objects, and more object-invariant representations compared to task-naïve monkeys. To model these differences, we developed a computational framework using anatomically-mapped artificial neural network (ANN) models of the ventral stream with various learning algorithms. Simulations revealed that gradient-based, performance-optimizing updates of ANN internal representations accurately approximated observed IT cortex changes. These models predict novel training-induced phenomena in the IT cortex, including changes independent of object identity and IT's alignment with behavior. This convergence between empirical measurements and model predictions suggests ventral stream plasticity follows task optimization principles well-approximated by gradient descent, enabling accurate predictions about visual plasticity and generalization to test images.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. lynnka@mit.edu",
    "Centre for Integrative and Applied Neuroscience, York University, Toronto, Canada. lynnka@mit.edu",
    "MIT Quest for Intelligence, Cambridge, USA. lynnka@mit.edu",
    "McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. lynnka@mit.edu",
    "Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA",
    "MIT Quest for Intelligence, Cambridge, USA",
    "McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA",
    "Centre for Integrative and Applied Neuroscience, York University, Toronto, Canada. k0h1t1j@yorku.ca",
    "Department of Biology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Canada. k0h1t1j@yorku.ca"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Lynn K. A. Sörensen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5560-6486"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "James J. DiCarlo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1592-5896"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Kohitij Kar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4283-9256"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f1kebn5xg56j3.bib",
  "cited_by": 5,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-74816-0",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "f1kebn5xg56j3",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74816-0",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "openalex",
      "2805|Visual perception and processing mechanisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167740178",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-74816-0_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13478300",
  "pmid": "42420264",
  "published": "2026-07-08",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f1kebn5xg56j3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T13:20:56Z",
      "native_id": "W7167740178",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74816-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Visual perception and processing mechanisms",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Hierarchical optimization predicts plasticity in the macaque inferior temporal cortex following object training",
  "title_text": "Hierarchical optimization predicts plasticity in the macaque inferior temporal cortex following object training",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f1kebn5xg56j3",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}