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Cortical specialisation for face processing: face-sensitive event-related potential components in 3- and 12-month-old

H Halit1, M de Haan, M H Johnson

  • 1Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK. h.halit@psychology.bbk.ac.uk

Neuroimage
|July 26, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The infant face processing components N290 and P400 become more specific to human faces as babies develop. The adult N170 face recognition marker emerges from these two distinct infant components.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Electrophysiology

Background:

  • The adult N170 is an electrophysiological marker for specialized face processing mechanisms.
  • The developmental origins of the adult N170 are not well understood.
  • Two face-sensitive infant event-related potential (ERP) components, the N290 and P400, have been previously identified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the specificity of infant N290 and P400 components to upright human faces at 3 and 12 months of age.
  • To investigate the developmental trajectory of face processing mechanisms from infancy to adulthood.

Main Methods:

  • Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from infants at 3 and 12 months of age.
  • Infants were presented with visual stimuli including upright human faces.
  • The specificity of the N290 and P400 components to human faces was analyzed.

Main Results:

  • At 12 months, both the N290 and P400 showed a degree of specificity to human faces comparable to the adult N170.
  • At 3 months, the N290 and P400 exhibited less specificity for human faces compared to 12-month-olds.
  • These findings indicate a developmental increase in the face specificity of these infant ERP components.

Conclusions:

  • Face-sensitive ERP components (N290 and P400) increase in their specificity for upright human faces during development.
  • The adult N170 likely emerges from the integration of the distinct N290 and P400 components, rather than a single precursor.
  • This study provides insights into the developmental emergence of specialized face processing in the human brain.

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