A Distributed Neural System for Top-down Face Processing

Overview

Journal Neurosci Lett

Specialty Neurology

Date 2009 Jan 6

PMID 19121364

Citations 21

Authors

Jun Li

Jiangang Liu

Jimin Liang

Hongchuan Zhang

Jizheng Zhao

David E Huber

Cory A Rieth

Kang Lee

Jie Tian

Guangming Shi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Evidence suggests that the neural system associated with face processing is a distributed cortical network containing both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. While bottom-up face processing has been the focus of many studies, the neural areas involved in the top-down face processing have not been extensively investigated due to difficulty in isolating top-down influences from the bottom-up response engendered by presentation of a face. In the present study, we used a novel experimental method to induce illusory face-detection. This method allowed for directly examining the neural systems involved in top-down face processing while minimizing the influence of bottom-up perceptual input. A distributed cortical network of top-down face processing was identified by analyzing the functional connectivity patterns of the right fusiform face area (FFA). This distributed cortical network model for face processing includes both "core" and "extended" face processing areas. It also includes left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), left premotor cortex, and left inferior parietal cortex. These findings suggest that top-down face processing contains not only regions for analyzing the visual appearance of faces, but also those involved in processing low spatial frequency (LSF) information, decision-making, and working memory.

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