Journal article
Processing of Facial Emotion in the Human Fusiform Gyrus
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, Vol.24(6), pp.1358-1370
06/01/2012
DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00175
PMCID: PMC3566877
PMID: 22185494
Abstract
Electrophysiological and fMRI-based investigations of the ventral temporal cortex of primates provide strong support for regional specialization for the processing of faces. These responses are most frequently found in or near the fusiform gyrus, but there is substantial variability in their anatomical location and response properties. An outstanding question is the extent to which ventral temporal cortex participates in processing dynamic, expressive aspects of faces, a function usually attributed to regions near the superior temporal cortex. Here, we investigated these issues through intracranial recordings from eight human surgical patients. We compared several different aspects of face processing (static and dynamic faces; happy, neutral, and fearful expressions) with power in the high-gamma band (70–150 Hz) from a spectral analysis. Detailed mapping of the response characteristics as a function of anatomical location was conducted in relation to the gyral and sulcal pattern on each patient's brain. The results document responses with high responsiveness for static or dynamic faces, often showing abrupt changes in response properties between spatially close recording sites and idiosyncratic across different subjects. Notably, strong responses to dynamic facial expressions can be found in the fusiform gyrus, just as can responses to static faces. The findings suggest a more complex, fragmented architecture of ventral temporal cortex around the fusiform gyrus, one that includes focal regions of cortex that appear relatively specialized for either static or dynamic aspects of faces.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Processing of Facial Emotion in the Human Fusiform Gyrus
- Creators
- Hiroto Kawasaki - University of Iowa, NeurosurgeryNaotsugu Tsuchiya - 4California Institute of TechnologyChristopher K Kovach - University of Iowa, NeurosurgeryKirill V Nourski - University of Iowa, NeurosurgeryHiroyuki Oya - University of Iowa, NeurosurgeryMatthew A Howard - University of Iowa, NeurosurgeryRalph Adolphs - University of Iowa, Neurology
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of cognitive neuroscience, Vol.24(6), pp.1358-1370
- Publisher
- MIT Press
- DOI
- 10.1162/jocn_a_00175
- PMID
- 22185494
- PMCID
- PMC3566877
- ISSN
- 0898-929X
- eISSN
- 1530-8898
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neurosurgery; Otolaryngology
- Record Identifier
- 9984013923002771
Metrics
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