Mapping neural signatures of face processing in young children: an OPM-MEG study.

ABSTRACT: Facial expressions are fundamental to social communication, with emotional face processing developing throughout childhood. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this process in young children remain underexplored due to challenges in neuroimaging this population. Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs), a wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) technology, offer potential advantages for studying these responses early in life. This study investigated evoked responses and functional connectivity in 45 children (3-5 years) during an emotional face processing task using OPM-MEG. The M170 component, a key marker of face processing, and whole-brain functional connectivity of eight regions of interest were assessed. Children exhibited a robust M170 response to emotional faces in the bilateral fu

SUBMITTER: Safar K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12478022 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature