High-dimensional structure underlying individual differences in naturalistic visual experience

TL;DR

This study uncovers that individual differences in visual experience are rooted in a high-dimensional neural geometry in the visual cortex, which predicts behavioral variability and cannot be captured by traditional measures.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel high-dimensional geometric framework to explain individual differences in visual perception from naturalistic stimuli.

Findings

Idiosyncratic neural patterns persist across multiple dimensions.

Different dimensions encode distinct aspects of processing.

Neural geometry predicts behavioral differences in memory recall.

Abstract

How do different brains create unique visual experiences from identical sensory input? While neural representations vary across individuals, the fundamental architecture underlying these differences remains poorly understood. Here, we reveal that individual visual experience emerges from a high-dimensional neural geometry across the visual cortical hierarchy. Using spectral decomposition of fMRI responses during naturalistic movie viewing, we find that idiosyncratic neural patterns persist across multiple orders of magnitude of latent dimensions. Remarkably, each dimensional range encodes qualitatively distinct aspects of individual processing, and this multidimensional neural geometry predicts subsequent behavioral differences in memory recall. These fine-grained patterns of inter-individual variability cannot be reduced to those detected by conventional intersubject correlation measures. Our findings demonstrate that subjective visual experience arises from information integrated across an expansive multidimensional manifold. This geometric framework offers a powerful new lens for understanding how diverse brains construct unique perceptual worlds from shared experiences.