Common neural systems associated with the recognition of famous faces and names: an event-related fMRI study.
Person recognition can be accomplished through several modalities (face, name, voice). Lesion, neurophysiology and neuroimaging studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine the similarities and differences in the neural networks associated with person identity via different modality inputs. The current study used event-related functional-MRI in 17 healthy participants to directly compare activation in response to randomly presented famous and non-famous names and faces (25 stimuli in each of the four categories). Findings indicated distinct areas of activation that differed for faces and names in regions typically associated with pre-semantic perceptual processes. In contrast, overlapping brain regions were activated in areas associated with the retrieval of biographical knowledge and associated social affective features. Specifically, activation for famous faces was primarily right lateralized and famous names were left-lateralized. However, for both stimuli, similar areas of bilateral activity were observed in the early phases of perceptual processing. Activation for fame, irrespective of stimulus modality, activated an extensive left hemisphere network, with bilateral activity observed in the hippocampi, posterior cingulate, and middle temporal gyri. Findings are discussed within the framework of recent proposals concerning the neural network of person identification.
Nielson
Kristy A
KA
Department of Psychology and the Integrative Neuroscience Research Center, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, United States. kristy.nielson@marquette.edu
Seidenberg
Michael
M
Woodard
John L
JL
Durgerian
Sally
S
Zhang
Qi
Q
Gross
William L
WL
Gander
Amelia
A
Guidotti
Leslie M
LM
Antuono
Piero
P
Rao
Stephen M
SM
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009275:Names; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult