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Covert visual attention modulates face-specific activity in the human fusiform gyrus: fMRI study
E Wojciulik1, N Kanwisher, J Driver
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|May 2, 1998
Summary
Face processing in the fusiform face area (FFA) is not mandatory. Face-specific activity in the FFA is reduced when faces are outside the focus of attention, demonstrating a role for voluntary attention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Processing
Background:
- Evidence suggests specialized processing for faces in the primate visual system.
- It is hypothesized that dedicated modules for biologically significant stimuli, like faces, operate mandatorily.
- The role of covert attention in face-specific processing remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether face-specific activity in the human fusiform face area (FFA) is modulated by covert attention.
- To determine if FFA activation is influenced by attentional focus.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- The fusiform face area (FFA) was identified individually in each subject.
- Subjects performed matching tasks on peripheral faces or houses while maintaining central fixation.
Main Results:
- Face-specific activity in the FFA was reliably stronger during face-matching than house-matching.
- FFA activity was reduced when stimuli were outside the focus of attention compared to when they were inside.
- This modulation occurred in both right and left hemisphere FFAs.
Conclusions:
- Face processing in the FFA, despite its modular nature, is dependent on voluntary attention.
- Face-specific fusiform activity is not mandatory and can be modulated by attentional state.