title: Neurofunctional Signature of Hyperfamiliarity for Unknown Faces.
abstract: Hyperfamiliarity for unknown faces is a rare selective disorder that consists of the disturbing and abnormal feeling of familiarity for unknown faces, while recognition of known faces is normal. In one such patient we investigated with a multimodal neuroimaging design the hitherto undescribed neural signature associated with hyperfamiliarity feelings. Behaviorally, signal detection methods revealed that the patient's discrimination sensitivity between familiar and unfamiliar faces was significantly lower than that of matched controls, and her response criterion for familiarity decisions was significantly more liberal. At the neural level, while morphometric analysis and single-photon emission CT (SPECT) showed the atrophy and hypofunctioning of the left temporal regions, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed that hyperfamiliarity feelings were selectively associated to enhanced activity in the right medial and inferior temporal cortices. We therefore characterize the neurofunctional signature of hyperfamiliarity for unknown faces as related to the loss of coordinated activity between the complementary face processing functions of the left and right temporal lobes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Negro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neuroradiology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Agata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neuroradiology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caroppo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neuroradiology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coriasco
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neuroradiology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrio
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology and CoRPS-Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases-Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celeghin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diano
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubino
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Gelder
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Innocenzo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rainero
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pinessi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology and CoRPS-Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases-Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamietto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001519:Behavior; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005145:Face / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon