The cortical and subcortical correlates of face pareidolia in the macaque brain.

ABSTRACT: Face detection is a foundational social skill for primates. This vital function is thought to be supported by specialized neural mechanisms; however, although several face-selective regions have been identified in both humans and nonhuman primates, there is no consensus about which region(s) are involved in face detection. Here, we used naturally occurring errors of face detection (i.e. objects with illusory facial features referred to as examples of 'face pareidolia') to identify regions of the macaque brain implicated in face detection. Using whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging to test awake rhesus macaques, we discovered that a subset of face-selective patches in the inferior temporal cortex, on the lower lateral edge of the superior temporal sulcus, and the amygdala respo

SUBMITTER: Taubert J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9629476 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature