Neural responses in the occipital cortex to unrecognizable faces.
OBJECTIVE
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to examine neural responses to face stimuli in a masking paradigm.


METHODS
Images of faces (neutral or fearful) and objects were presented in subthreshold, threshold, and suprathreshold conditions (exposure durations of approximately 20, 30 and 300 ms, respectively), followed by a 1000-ms pattern mask. We recorded ERP responses at Oz, T5, T6, Cz and Pz. The effects of physical stimulus features were examined by inverted stimuli.


RESULTS
The occipital N1 amplitude (approximately 160 ms) was significantly smaller in response to faces than objects when presented at a subthreshold duration. In contrast, the occipitotemporal N170 amplitude was significantly greater in the threshold and suprathreshold conditions compared with the subthreshold condition for faces, but not for objects. The P1 amplitude (approximately 120 ms) elicited by upright faces in the subthreshold condition was significantly larger than for inverted faces.


CONCLUSIONS
P1 and N1 components at Oz were sensitive to subthreshold faces, which suggests the presence of fast face-specific process(es) prior to face-encoding. The N170 reflects the robustness of the face selective response in the occipitotemporal area.


CONCLUSIONS
Even when presented for a subthreshold duration, faces were processed differently to images of objects at an early stage of visual processing.
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. staka@neurophy.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Takako
T
Mitsudo
Yoko
Y
Kamio
Yoshinobu
Y
Goto
Taisuke
T
Nakashima
Shozo
S
Tobimatsu
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult