Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

He was called ugly, not me: valence and referent of social opinions do not impact face recognition but affect attribution of the opinion's target.

Cognition & emotion·2026

Same author

Magnetoencephalography biomarkers for assessing myelin content and neuronal function in acute optic neuritis.

Brain communications·2026

Same author

Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens for severe self-injurious behaviour in children: long-term outcomes from a first-in-human pilot trial.

Molecular psychiatry·2026

Same author

Face memory is shaped more by fixation durations and sequences than by where observers fixate within the face.

Journal of vision·2026

Same author

Closed-loop stimulation modulates attention shifting in children.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Correction: Using endocrine profiles to explore subgroups among transdiagnostic neurodiverse children and adolescents.

Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Analyzing Neural Activity and Connectivity Using Intracranial EEG Data with SPM Software

Analyzing Neural Activity and Connectivity Using Intracranial EEG Data with SPM Software

Published on: October 30, 2018

Inversion and contrast-reversal effects on face processing assessed by MEG.

Roxane J Itier¹, Anthony T Herdman, Nathalie George

¹The Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1. ritier@rotman-baycrest.on.ca <ritier@rotman-baycrest.on.ca>

|August 26, 2006

Summary

Investigating face processing with MEG, researchers found that inverted and contrast-reversed faces delay neural responses (M100, M170, M220) without altering brain areas. This suggests delayed activation rather than new neural pathways for non-standard faces.

More Related Videos

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Published on: July 26, 2019

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Published on: June 27, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Analyzing Neural Activity and Connectivity Using Intracranial EEG Data with SPM Software

Analyzing Neural Activity and Connectivity Using Intracranial EEG Data with SPM Software

Published on: October 30, 2018

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography

Published on: July 26, 2019

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Published on: June 27, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

Face perception is crucial for social interaction.
Previous studies using electroencephalography (ERP) indicated processing differences for inverted faces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural processing of upright, inverted, and contrast-reversed faces using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
To identify the brain sources and temporal dynamics associated with early face-evoked magnetic fields.

Main Methods:

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was employed to record brain activity.
Peak and global field power analyses were used to examine M100, M170, and M220 components.
Source localization techniques, including event-related SAM beamformer, identified neural generators.

Main Results:

Inverted and contrast-reversed faces elicited delayed M100, M170, and M220 components compared to upright faces.
No significant amplitude modulations were observed across different face orientations or contrasts.
Source analyses revealed bilateral occipital sources for M100 and M220, and two distinct sources for M170, including one near the fusiform gyrus.

Conclusions:

Deviations from the standard upright face format lead to delayed activation of existing neural sources, not recruitment of new brain areas.
The M220 component may represent a reactivation of the neural source generating the M170A component.
MEG data confirm the sensitivity of early neural components (M100, M170) to face format manipulations.