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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
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Two areas for familiar face recognition in the primate brain
Sofia M Landi1, Winrich A Freiwald1
1The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA. slandi@rockefeller.edu wfreiwald@rockefeller.edu.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 12, 2017
Summary
Familiar faces are recognized better than unfamiliar ones. New brain areas in the temporal lobe help identify familiar faces, extending the core face-processing network.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Primate Brain Imaging
Background:
- Familiar face recognition is more accurate than unfamiliar face recognition, especially under challenging viewing conditions.
- The underlying neural mechanisms distinguishing familiar and unfamiliar face recognition are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis for enhanced recognition of familiar faces compared to unfamiliar faces.
- To identify brain regions involved in processing familiar faces using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Main Methods:
- Whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed in macaques.
- The study compared brain activity patterns when viewing familiar versus unfamiliar faces and objects.
Main Results:
- Personally familiar faces activated the macaque face-processing network more intensely than unfamiliar faces.
- Two novel face-processing areas were identified in the perirhinal cortex and temporal pole, recruited by familiar faces.
- These newly identified areas exhibited a nonlinear response to familiar faces emerging from blur, unlike the core network's linear response to unfamiliar faces and objects.
Conclusions:
- Two distinct temporal lobe areas contribute to a specialized system for familiar face recognition.
- These areas extend the known face-processing network, explaining the enhanced accuracy for familiar faces.
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