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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Analyzing Neural Activity and Connectivity Using Intracranial EEG Data with SPM Software
Published on: October 30, 2018
Common cortical responses evoked by appearance, disappearance and change of the human face
Emi Tanaka1, Koji Inui, Tetsuo Kida
1Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Japan. temi@nips.ac.jp
Background:
To segregate luminance-related, face-related and non-specific components involved in spatio-temporal dynamics of cortical activations to a face stimulus, we recorded cortical responses to face appearance (Onset), disappearance (Offset), and change (Change) using magnetoencephalography.
Results:
Activity in and around the primary visual cortex (V1/V2) showed luminance-dependent behavior. Any of the three events evoked activity in the middle occipital gyrus (MOG) at 150 ms and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) at 250 ms after the onset of each event. Onset and Change activated the fusiform gyrus (FG), while Offset did not. This FG activation showed a triphasic waveform, consistent with results of intracranial recordings in humans.
Conclusion:
Analysis employed in this study successfully segregated four different elements involved in the spatio-temporal dynamics of cortical activations in response to a face stimulus. The results show the responses of MOG and TPJ to be associated with non-specific processes, such as the detection of abrupt changes or exogenous attention. Activity in FG corresponds to a face-specific response recorded by intracranial studies, and that in V1/V2 is related to a change in luminance.
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