Holistic processing and face expertise after pediatric resection of occipitotemporal cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Neuroscience

Background:

• Hemispheric lateralization, particularly the right hemisphere (RH) advantage for face processing, is generally accepted in adults.
• The potential for brain reorganization and plasticity following early cortical resection remains a key area of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate face processing and its lateralization in individuals with a single preserved occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) after early childhood resection.
• To compare face and non-face (bicycle) processing and orientation sensitivity in patient groups versus controls.

Main Methods:

• Examined face and bicycle processing accuracy and orientation sensitivity in patient groups (RH or left hemisphere OTC preservation) and matched controls.
• Assessed performance on global form tasks to evaluate intermediate-level processing.
• Utilized behavioral assessments to quantify processing capabilities.

Main Results:

• Patients with either RH or left hemisphere (LH) OTC preservation showed significantly reduced accuracy in face processing compared to controls.
• Both patient groups exhibited only mild orientation sensitivities for faces and bicycles, often not in predicted directions.
• Face and bicycle processing accuracies did not differ within patient groups and were not correlated with global form task performance.

Conclusions:

• Early childhood resection of OTC significantly impacts face processing and its lateralization.
• The brain demonstrates complex dynamics and potential plasticity following early cortical resections, affecting both face and non-face object processing.
• Findings challenge simple models of hemispheric lateralization for face recognition and underscore the intricate nature of functional reorganization.