Developmental shifts in cortical loci for face and object recognition.
Information on normal functional organization and development of the ventral processing stream in 5- to 11-year-old children is minimal. The present fMRI study identified neural correlates for face and object processing in children aged 5-8 and 9-11 years, with data from a similar adult study used for comparison. All age groups showed face-preferential activation in the ventral processing stream, but adults and children aged 9-11 years showed face-preferential loci near the classically defined fusiform face area, whereas children aged 5-8 years showed this activation in the posterior ventral processing stream. In addition, the degree of category-selectivity in other brain regions increased with age. Collectively, these developmental changes may reflect fine-tuning in visual recognition processes based on learning and experience.
Gathers
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AD
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Chandler Medical Center, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, Davis-Mills 308, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Bhatt
R
R
Corbly
C R
CR
Farley
A B
AB
Joseph
J E
JE
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014794:Visual Fields
D010100:Oxygen