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Processing the socially relevant parts of faces
Francesca Benuzzi1, Matteo Pugnaghi, Stefano Meletti
1Dipartimento Integrato di Neuroscienze, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 41100, Baggiovara (Modena), Italy. benuzzi@unimore.it
Brain Research Bulletin
|September 12, 2007
Summary
The amygdala (a brain region) is activated by whole faces more than parts, suggesting its role in directing attention to eyes and mouth for face perception. Other brain areas process facial parts to build a complete face representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Face perception involves distributed neural systems, including core and extended networks.
- The specific functions of brain regions in face processing remain unclear.
- Previous research suggests the amygdala may direct attention to the eyes for processing fear cues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural systems for face processing using partial facial information.
- To examine the role of the amygdala in processing socially relevant facial areas (eyes and mouth).
- To compare brain activation for whole faces versus isolated facial parts.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used.
- Twenty-four subjects performed a gender decision task on whole faces, upper faces (eyes/eyebrows), and lower faces (mouth).
- Brain activation patterns were compared across different viewing conditions.
Main Results:
- The amygdala showed greater activation for whole faces compared to isolated facial parts.
- This suggests the amygdala's involvement in directing attention to both eyes and mouth.
- Processing isolated facial parts activated regions within the core and extended face processing networks, plus other structures.
Conclusions:
- The amygdala plays a role in orienting attention towards key facial features like the eyes and mouth.
- Distributed neural networks beyond the core and extended systems contribute to constructing a holistic face representation from its components.
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