Effective connectivities of cortical regions for top-down face processing: a dynamic causal modeling study.
To study top-down face processing, the present study used an experimental paradigm in which participants detected non-existent faces in pure noise images. Conventional BOLD signal analysis identified three regions involved in this illusory face detection. These regions included the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in addition to the right fusiform face area (FFA) and right occipital face area (OFA), both of which were previously known to be involved in both top-down and bottom-up processing of faces. We used Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) and Bayesian model selection to further analyze the data, revealing both intrinsic and modulatory effective connectivities among these three cortical regions. Specifically, our results support the claim that the orbitofrontal cortex plays a crucial role in the top-down processing of faces by regulating the activities of the occipital face area, and the occipital face area in turn detects the illusory face features in the visual stimuli and then provides this information to the fusiform face area for further analysis.
Li
Jun
J
Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Liu
Jiangang
J
Liang
Jimin
J
Zhang
Hongchuan
H
Zhao
Jizheng
J
Rieth
Cory A
CA
Huber
David E
DE
Li
Wu
W
Shi
Guangming
G
Ai
Lin
L
Tian
Jie
J
Lee
Kang
K
D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005145:Face / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult