title: Event-related potential of facial expression processing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate spatial and temporal patterns of event-related potentials (ERP) evoked by facial expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  ERP was recorded in 25 healthy subjects while they performed facial recognition task. Repeated-measure one-way ANOVA was adopted to compare the subjects' responses to stimulation by 3 different expressions (positive, neutral and negative) with statistical parametric mapping (SPM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant facial expression effects occurred separately in the left parietal and bilateral occipital regions (280-340 ms), left frontal region (400-420 ms), and right prefrontal region (480-500 ms). In 4 time periods, significant difference was observed between positive and neutral emotion wave in the right frontoparietotemporal and left prefrontal regions (60-80 ms), right occipital region (120-140 ms), left occipital region (280-320 ms), and left frontoparietal region (400-440 ms). Significant difference between negative and neutral emotion waves was observed in 5 time periods in the right occipital region (120-140 ms), central frontoparietal region (220-240 ms), central parietal region (280-300 ms), left parietal and right temporopartial regions (320-340 ms) and frontopartial occipitotemporal region (480-500 ms).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The spatiotemporal patterns of ERP suggest that the information processing of facial expression involves extensive brain regions dynamically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. guosq@fimmu.com
authors.forename: Hong-zhen
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ya-jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xue-song
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yi-feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Neng-tao
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D019260:Expressed Emotion / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged