Macaque monkeys were presented with continuous rapid serial visual presenta
tion (RSVP) sequences of unrelated naturalistic images at rates of 14-222 m
sec/image, while neurons that responded selectively to complex patterns (e.
g., faces) were recorded in temporal cortex. Stimulus selectivity was prese
rved for 65% of these neurons even at surprisingly fast presentation rates
(14 msec/image or 72 images/sec). Five human subjects were asked to detect
or remember images under equivalent conditions, Their performance in both t
asks was above chance at all rates (14-111 msec/image). The performance of
single neurons was comparable to that of humans anti responded in a similar
way to changes in presentation rate, The implications for the role of temp
oral cortex cells in perception are discussed.