title: The Core Brain Region for Face Processing in Schizophrenia Lacks Face Selectivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Face perception impairment in schizophrenia has long been recognized. However, brain mechanisms underlying this socially important perceptual deficit are not well understood. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that patients have altered structure in brain regions responsible for processing face information, but functional properties of these brain regions are not clearly determined. A key functional property of the face-processing system--face selectivity--has yet to be evaluated in schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used functional MRI (fMRI) to examine face selectivity of 3 core face-processing regions--fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA), and superior temporal sulcus (STS)--in schizophrenia patients (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 23). To disassociate face-specific processing from general perceptual processing, we compared cortical activations during performance of perceptually equated face and tree detection tasks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activation levels of the 3 putative face-processing regions during face detection did not differ between patients and controls, being similar for FFA and OFA and absent for STS. However, face selectivity, indexed by the difference in cortical activation between face and tree detection, was significantly reduced in patients for FFA, especially for low-contrast stimuli. FFA activation and perceptual performance during face detection were associated in patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show a lack of face-specific processing in the schizophrenic brain region presumably subserving face perception. This finding suggests boosting visual salience of face images as a potential therapeutic venue for improving face perception in this psychiatric disorder.
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA;
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA;
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ekstrom
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA;
authors.forename: Dost
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ongur
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA; ychen@mclean.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: cognition; fMRI; perception; schizophrenic; vision; visual