Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

The neuropsychology of face perception: Beyond simple dissociations and functional selectivity

Atkinson, A.P.; Adolphs, R.

The neuropsychology of face perception: Beyond simple dissociations and functional selectivity Thumbnail


Authors

R. Adolphs



Abstract

Face processing relies on a distributed, patchy network of cortical regions in the temporal and frontal lobes that respond disproportionately to face stimuli, other cortical regions that are not even primarily visual (such as somatosensory cortex), and subcortical structures such as the amygdala. Higher-level face perception abilities, such as judging identity, emotion, and trustworthiness, appear to rely on an intact face-processing network that includes OFA, whereas lower-level face categorization abilities, such as discriminating faces from objects, can be achieved without OFA, perhaps via the direct connections to FFA from several extrastriate cortical areas. Some lesion, TMS and fMRI findings argue against a strict feedforward hierarchical model of face perception, in which the OFA is the principal and common source of input for other visual and non-visual cortical regions involved in face perception, including the FFA, face-selective STS and somatosensory cortex. Instead, these findings point to a more interactive model in which higher-level face perception abilities depend on the interplay between several functionally and anatomically distinct neural regions. Furthermore, the nature of these interactions may depend on the particular demands of the task. We review the lesion and TMS literature on this topic and highlight the dynamic and distributed nature of face processing.

Citation

Atkinson, A., & Adolphs, R. (2011). The neuropsychology of face perception: Beyond simple dissociations and functional selectivity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 366(1571), 1726-1738. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0349

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jun 12, 2011
Deposit Date Oct 18, 2010
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Print ISSN 0962-8436
Electronic ISSN 1471-2970
Publisher The Royal Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 366
Issue 1571
Pages 1726-1738
DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0349
Keywords Faces, Lesion studies, Transcranial magnetic stimulation, Fusiform face area.

Files





You might also like



Downloadable Citations