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A cortical area selective for visual processing of the human body.

P E Downing¹, Y Jiang, M Shuman

¹School of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Wales, Bangor LL57 2AS, UK. p.downing@bangor.ac.uk

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|September 29, 2001

Summary

Researchers discovered a specific brain region in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex that visually processes human body images. This finding suggests a specialized neural system for body perception, distinct from face recognition areas.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Visual Perception

Background:

While the visual cortex has known face-selective regions, the neural basis for body perception remains less understood.
Previous research has primarily focused on the representation of faces in the human brain.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence and location of a distinct cortical region specialized for the visual perception of the human body.
To compare the neural response to body images with various control stimuli.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were conducted on human subjects.
Participants viewed images of the human body alongside a range of control visual stimuli.

Main Results:

A distinct cortical region in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex showed a selective response to human body images across all subjects.
This region's activation was significantly greater for body images compared to control stimuli.

Conclusions:

The findings provide substantial evidence for a specialized neural system in the human brain dedicated to the visual perception of the body.
This identified region in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex represents a key area for processing body appearance.