title: Differential sensitivity for viewpoint between familiar and unfamiliar faces in human visual cortex.
abstract: People are extremely proficient at recognizing faces that are familiar to them, but are poor at identifying unfamiliar faces. We used fMR-adaptation to ask whether this difference in recognition might be reflected in the relative viewpoint-dependence of face-selective regions in the brain. A reduced response (adaptation) to repeated images of unfamiliar or familiar faces was found in the fusiform face area (FFA), but not in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) face-selective region. To establish if the neural representation of faces was invariant to changes in viewpoint, we parametrically varied the viewing angle of successive images using 3-dimensional models of unfamiliar and familiar faces. We found adaptation to familiar faces across all changes in viewpoint in the FFA. In contrast, a release from adaptation was apparent in the FFA when unfamiliar faces were viewed at increasing viewing angles. These results provide a neural basis for differences in the recognition of familiar and unfamiliar faces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ewbank
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*