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The fusiform face area: a module in human extrastriate cortex specialized for face perception
N Kanwisher1, J McDermott, M M Chun
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Summary
Researchers identified a specific brain region, the fusiform face area (FFA), highly active when viewing faces. This area is selectively involved in face perception, not general visual processing or attention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The fusiform gyrus is implicated in visual processing.
- Previous studies suggested specific regions for face recognition, but definitive evidence was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and functionally characterize a brain region selectively involved in face perception.
- To address limitations in functional imaging studies, such as multiple comparisons and limited condition contrasts.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- A region of interest (ROI) in the fusiform gyrus was individually defined based on face vs. object activation.
- Multiple specificity tests were conducted within the predefined ROI.
Main Results:
- An area in the fusiform gyrus showed significantly higher activation to faces compared to common objects in 12/15 subjects.
- This 'face area' responded more strongly to intact vs. scrambled faces, face photos vs. houses, and faces vs. hands.
- The region also showed greater activation during a face-matching task compared to a hand-matching task.
Conclusions:
- The fusiform face area (FFA) is selectively involved in the perception of faces.
- This finding rejects alternative explanations based on visual attention, subordinate classification, or general animate form processing.
- The study demonstrates a robust method for ROI definition and testing in functional imaging.