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Face-Selective Units in Human Ventral Temporal Cortex Reactivate during Free Recall.
Simon Khuvis1, Erin M Yeagle1, Yitzhak Norman2
1Department of Neurosurgery, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York 11030.
Summary
Human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) neurons show specific responses to faces. During recall, these face-selective neurons reactivate, suggesting endogenous representation of remembered faces.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Functional neuroimaging suggests category-selective visual cortex regions, like the ventral temporal cortex (VTC), can be reactivated internally via imagery and recall.
- Face representation in nonhuman primates is well-studied, offering a model for human studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate endogenous reactivation of face-selective neurons in the human VTC.
- To explore how the human VTC represents and recalls individual faces.
Main Methods:
- Electrode implantation in the VTC of 8 human epilepsy surgery patients.
- Recording single-unit activity in response to visual stimuli and during free recall.
- Analyzing neural responses for face selectivity and reactivation patterns.
Main Results:
- Most recorded units (26/33) were selective for face stimuli.
- Different face exemplars elicited consistent and discriminable neural responses.
- Face-selective units preferentially reactivated during a 2-second window before face recall events, even without visual stimulation.
- In one subject, recalled face identity was predicted by neural activity preceding recall.
Conclusions:
- Face-selective neurons in the human VTC are reactivated endogenously.
- The VTC maintains and can internally reactivate specific representations of individual faces.
- This supports the role of top-down mechanisms in sensory information processing and memory recall.
