Brain regions involved in processing facial identity and expression are differentially selective for surface and edge information.

ABSTRACT: Although different brain regions are widely considered to be involved in the recognition of facial identity and expression, it remains unclear how these regions process different properties of the visual image. Here, we ask how surface-based reflectance information and edge-based shape cues contribute to the perception and neural representation of facial identity and expression. Contrast-reversal was used to generate images in which normal contrast relationships across the surface of the image were disrupted, but edge information was preserved. In a behavioural experiment, contrast-reversal significantly attenuated judgements of facial identity, but only had a marginal effect on judgements of expression. An fMR-adaptation paradigm was then used to ask how brain regions involved in the proc

SUBMITTER: Harris RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4077631 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature