The extrastriate body area: beyond visual analysis of body parts?

The extrastriate body area (EBA), a body-selective region in lateral occipitotemporal cortex, is revisited by Smekal et al., who combine a literature review, a meta-analysis of reported coordinates, and empirical localization using a dynamic body localizer while assessing individual variability. In this commentary, I discuss proposed roles of EBA, including those beyond visual body analysis, such as action execution and affective processing. Current evidence suggests that EBA primarily represents static and dynamic visual features of bodies, likely at an intermediate, largely shape-based level. Comparative work in nonhuman primates supports this view. EBA likely comprises multiple subregions within a broader body-processing network.