Stepwise emergence of the face-sensitive N170 event-related potential component.
The present study used a parametric design to characterize early event-related potentials (ERP) to face stimuli embedded in gradually decreasing random noise levels. For both N170 and the vertex positive potential (VPP) there was a linear increase in amplitude and decrease in latency with decreasing levels of noise. In contrast, the earlier visual P1 component was stable across noise levels. The P1/N170 dissociation suggests not only a functional dissociation between low and high-level visual processing of faces but also that the N170 reflects the integration of sensorial information into a unitary representation. In addition, the N170/VPP association supports the view that they reflect the same processes operating when viewing faces.
Service de Recherche, Hôpital Rivière des Prairies, and Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin, 7070 Blv Perras, Montréal (Qc) HAE 1A4, Canada. Boutheina.Jemel.hrdp@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Boutheina
B
Jemel
Anne-Marie
AM
Schuller
Yasémine
Y
Cheref-Khan
Valérie
V
Goffaux
Marc
M
Crommelinck
Raymond
R
Bruyer
D000328:Adult; D016477:Artifacts; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology