title: Distinct representations of configural and part information across multiple face-selective regions of the human brain.
abstract: Several regions of the human brain respond more strongly to faces than to other visual stimuli, such as regions in the amygdala (AMG), superior temporal sulcus (STS), and the fusiform face area (FFA). It is unclear if these brain regions are similar in representing the configuration or natural appearance of face parts. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging of healthy adults who viewed natural or schematic faces with internal parts that were either normally configured or randomly rearranged. Response amplitudes were reduced in the AMG and STS when subjects viewed stimuli whose configuration of parts were digitally rearranged, suggesting that these regions represent the 1st order configuration of face parts. In contrast, response amplitudes in the FFA showed little modulation whether face parts were rearranged or if the natural face parts were replaced with lines. Instead, FFA responses were reduced only when both configural and part information were reduced, revealing an interaction between these factors, suggesting distinct representation of 1st order face configuration and parts in the AMG and STS vs. the FFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Golijeh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Golarai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Dara G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ghahremani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Eberhardt
authors.affiliation: Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: John D E
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gabrieli
keywords: FFA; STS; amygdala; configuration; face; holistic representation; occipito-temporal cortex; parts