Abstract

Foveal vision enables primates to perceive small objects with remarkable precision by resolving both global form and fine local detail. Here, we challenge current frameworks of coarse-to-fine spatial analysis and local-to-global feature integration, which posit that V1 encodes fine local detail, whereas IT represents global. We found that fine-global structure and fine-local detail are jointly encoded neuronally as early as V1 and preserved across V2, V4 and IT across both foveal (1{degrees}-2{degrees}) and parafoveal (2{degrees}-6{degrees}) retinal eccentricities. By contrast, coarse-global features dominated parafoveal vision and higher cortical areas. Response latencies revealed a rapid processing sequence, with 2-6 ms separating coarse-global, fine-local, and fine-global processing within parafoveal V1, V2 and V4. These findings establish a neuronal framework supporting fine-scale visual perception and behavior.