title: Event-related oscillations in structural and semantic encoding of faces.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ability to perceive faces is acquired through an interaction between species-specific biological mechanisms and social experience. To elucidate the mechanisms of the cognitive system underlying face recognition, we investigated cerebral oscillations related to encoding in 'person identity nodes'.
  
  
  METHODS
  EEG was measured in nine healthy adults during perception of their own face, familiar face and unfamiliar face images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Event-related synchronization (ERS) in theta, alpha and beta bands was initially induced in occipito-temporal areas within 0-200 ms of the presentation of facial stimuli. In addition, delta ERS over parietal and left temporal areas was greater in response to familiar faces around 0-800 ms compared with unfamiliar faces. Beta ERS over the right prefrontal area was significantly greater in response to a participant's own face compared with a familiar face at 400-800 ms post-stimulus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ERS within 0-200 ms reflects structural encoding of faces (i.e., N170 of the event related potential). Delta ERS within 0-800 ms suggests an association with memory retrieval. Beta ERS within 400-800 ms is consistent with the cortical areas reported to be strongly related to self-face perception in previous fMRI studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The delta and beta bands ERS might provide an index of familiarity and self-recognition, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotoe
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakihara
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunji
authors.forename: Wakana
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Furushima
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inagaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004569:Electroencephalography; 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*; D012660:Semantics; D055815:Young Adult