ALTERED BOLD RESPONSE WITHIN THE CORE FACE-PROCESSING NETWORK IN CONGENITAL PROSOPAGNOSIA

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Congenital prosopagnosia (CP) is a lifelong impairment in face perception.
• Investigating the neural underpinnings of CP is crucial for understanding face recognition deficits.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for the study of brain activity during cognitive tasks.

Observation:

• A family with three members exhibiting symptoms of congenital prosopagnosia participated in the study.
• Neuropsychological assessments confirmed significant face perception and recognition impairments in all affected individuals.
• Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses were measured in the occipito-temporal cortex while viewing faces and non-object images.

Findings:

• Congenital prosopagnosic individuals displayed significantly reduced BOLD responses in the fusiform face area, occipital face area, and lateral occipital cortex compared to controls.
• The hemodynamic response function in these areas showed a lower peak and a faster, stronger decay in congenital prosopagnosia.
• These findings indicate a dysfunction within the core face processing network and the lateral occipital complex.

Implications:

• The results highlight the critical role of the core face processing system and lateral occipital complex in congenital prosopagnosia.
• Altered hemodynamic response function, characterized by reduced initial peaks and accelerated decay, serves as a key indicator of functional impairment.
• This research provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying lifelong face blindness and informs potential therapeutic targets.