In humans and nonhuman primates, the central 1° of vision is processed by the foveola, a retinal structure that comprises a high density of photoreceptors and is crucial for primate-specific high-acuity vision, color vision and gaze-directed visual attention. Here, we developed high-spatial-resolution ultrahigh-field 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging methods for functional mapping of the foveolar visual cortex in awake monkeys. In the ventral pathway (visual areas V1–V4 and the posterior inferior temporal cortex), viewing of a small foveolar spot elicits a ring of multiple (eight) foveolar representations per hemisphere. This ring surrounds an area called the ‘foveolar core’, which is populated by millimeter-scale functional domains sensitive to fine stimuli and high spatial frequencies, consistent with foveolar visual acuity, color and achromatic information and motion. Thus, this elaborate rerepresentation of central vision coupled with a previously unknown foveolar core area signifies a cortical specialization for primate foveation behaviors.

在人类和非人类灵长类动物中，中央 1° 的视力由中央凹处理，中央凹是一种视网膜结构，由高密度的光感受器组成，对于灵长类动物特异性的高敏锐视力、色觉和凝视导向的视觉注意至关重要。在这里，我们开发了高空间分辨率超高场 7T 功能磁共振成像方法，用于清醒猴子中央凹视觉皮层的功能映射。在腹侧通路（视觉区域 V1-V4 和后颞下皮层）中，观察一个小的中心凹点会在每个半球引起一个由多个 （8） 个中心凹表示组成的环。这个环围绕着一个称为“前凹核心”的区域，该区域由对精细刺激和高空间频率敏感的毫米级功能域组成，与前凹视力、颜色和非消色差信息以及运动一致。因此，这种对中央视觉的精心再现加上以前未知的中心凹核心区域意味着灵长类动物注视行为的皮层特化。