title: Neurophysiological correlates for the perception of facial sexual dimorphism.
abstract: Neural correlates for the processing of face identity, expression, gaze direction and attractiveness are well described, but neurophysiological correlates for the perception of face gender are less understood. Here, we used morphing techniques to produce synthetic faces with graded perceivable gender and independent component analysis (ICA) of multifocal EEG to unravel neural signals correlated to processing and perception of face gender. We investigate possible neural correlates of face perception using scalp event-related potentials (ERPs) and dipole source analysis in a group of health observers. We isolated one signal source localised to the right parieto-temporal region with a latency of about 170 ms, whose latency correlates with perceived facial masculinity. In conclusion, our data prove that the right parieto-temporal regions play a fundamental role in face gender masculinity processing and perception in humans.
authors.affiliation: Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cellerino
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Borghetti
authors.forename: Dario R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Valenzano
authors.forename: Giandonato
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tartarelli
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mennucci
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murri
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sartucci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics