title: Alternating zones selective to faces and written words in the human ventral occipitotemporal cortex.
abstract: Recognition of faces and written words is associated with category-specific brain activation in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOT). However, topological and functional relationships between face-selective and word-selective vOT regions remain unclear. In this study, we collected data from patients with intractable epilepsy who underwent high-density recording of surface field potentials in the vOT. "Faces" and "letterstrings" induced outstanding category-selective responses among the 24 visual categories tested, particularly in high-γ band powers. Strikingly, within-hemispheric analysis revealed alternation of face-selective and letterstring-selective zones within the vOT. Two distinct face-selective zones located anterior and posterior portions of the mid-fusiform sulcus whereas letterstring-selective zones alternated between and outside of these 2 face-selective zones. Further, a classification analysis indicated that activity patterns of these zones mostly represent dedicated categories. Functional connectivity analysis using Granger causality indicated asymmetrically directed causal influences from face-selective to letterstring-selective regions. These results challenge the prevailing view that different categories are represented in distinct contiguous regions in the vOT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata 951-8510, Japan Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.affiliation: ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Majima
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nishi-Niigata Chuo National Hospital, Niigata 950-2085, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nishi-Niigata Chuo National Hospital, Niigata 950-2085, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroatsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kunii
authors.affiliation: ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiyasu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamitani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nishi-Niigata Chuo National Hospital, Niigata 950-2085, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kameyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata 951-8510, Japan Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D000069280:Electrocorticography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D014956:Writing; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ECoG; category selectivity; electrocorticography; visual recognition