Neurons represent spatial information in diverse reference frames, but it remains unclear whether neural reference frames change with task demands and whether these changes can account for behavior. In this study, we examined how neurons represent the direction of a moving object during self-motion, while monkeys switched, from trial to trial, between reporting object direction in head- and world-centered reference frames. Self-motion information is needed to compute object motion in world coordinates but should be ignored when judging object motion in head coordinates. Neural responses in the ventral intraparietal area are modulated by the task reference frame, such that population activity represents object direction in either reference frame. In contrast, responses in the lateral portion of the medial superior temporal area primarily represent object motion in head coordinates. Our findings demonstrate a neural representation of object motion that changes with task requirements.

神经元在不同的参考框架中表示空间信息，但尚不清楚神经参考框架是否随任务需求而变化，以及这些变化是否可以解释行为。在这项研究中，我们研究了神经元在自我运动过程中如何代表运动物体的方向，而猴子却在试验中以头部和世界为中心的参考框架在报告物体方向之间切换。在计算世界坐标中的对象运动时需要自运动信息，但是在判断头部坐标中的对象运动时应将其忽略。腹腔内壁区域的神经反应受任务参考系的调节，因此种群活动代表任一参考系中的物体方向。相反，内侧颞上区域外侧的反应主要代表头部坐标中的物体运动。我们的发现表明对象运动的神经表示随任务要求而变化。