1
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Lian Y, Zhang Q, Yang X, Fang H, Wang H. Rigid facial motion at study facilitates the holistic processing of own-race faces during the structural encoding stage. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 203:112407. [PMID: 39084291 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Holistic processing is a fundamental element of face-recognition studies. Some behavioral studies have investigated the impact of rigid facial motion on holistic face processing, yet it is still unclear how rigid motion affects the time course of holistic face processing for different face races. The current study investigated this issue, using the composite face effect (CFE) as a direct measure of holistic processing. Participants were asked to match the identity of the top half of a static composite face with the study face during the test stage, where the study face was either static or rigidly-moving. ERP results showed that rigidly-moving study faces elicited a larger CFE relative to static study faces in the N170 component when recognizing own-race faces. The amplitude of P1, N170 and P2 components indicated that rigid motion facilitated holistic face processing, with differences observed between the hemispheres over time. Specifically, the CFE was only observed after exposure to rigidly-moving faces in the P1 and P2 components of the right hemisphere. Additionally, a greater CFE was observed following exposure to rigidly-moving faces compared to static faces, particularly in the N170 component of the left hemisphere. This study suggests that holistic processing is a fundamental aspect of face perception that applies to both static and moving faces, not just static ones. Furthermore, rigid facial motion improves holistic processing of own-race faces during the structural encoding stage. These findings provide evidence of distinct neural mechanisms underlying the holistic processing of static and moving faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujing Lian
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
| | - Xuexian Yang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
| | - Haiqing Fang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
| | - Hailing Wang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
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2
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Wang Z, Tan Q, Frank SM, Sasaki Y, Sheinberg D, Phillips KA, Watanabe T. Learning of the same task subserved by substantially different mechanisms between patients with body dysmorphic disorder and healthy individuals. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae215. [PMID: 38798001 PMCID: PMC11128689 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
It has remained unclear whether individuals with psychiatric disorders involving altered visual processing employ similar neuronal mechanisms during perceptual learning of a visual task. We investigated this question by training patients with body dysmorphic disorder, a psychiatric disorder characterized by distressing or impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in one's physical appearance, and healthy controls on a visual detection task for human faces with low spatial frequency components. Brain activation during task performance was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging before the beginning and after the end of behavioral training. Both groups of participants improved performance on the trained task to a similar extent. However, neuronal changes in the fusiform face area were substantially different between groups such that activation for low spatial frequency faces in the right fusiform face area increased after training in body dysmorphic disorder patients but decreased in controls. Moreover, functional connectivity between left and right fusiform face area decreased after training in patients but increased in controls. Our results indicate that neuronal mechanisms involved in perceptual learning of a face detection task differ fundamentally between body dysmorphic disorder patients and controls. Such different neuronal mechanisms in body dysmorphic disorder patients might reflect the brain's adaptations to altered functions imposed by the psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyan Wang
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
- Institute for Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg Bavaria 93053, Germany
| | - Qingleng Tan
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
| | - Sebastian M Frank
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
- Institute for Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg Bavaria 93053, Germany
| | - Yuka Sasaki
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
| | - David Sheinberg
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
| | - Katharine A Phillips
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States
- Present address: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, 15 E 62nd Street 5th Floor, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Takeo Watanabe
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, United States
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3
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Boudry L, Nador JD, Ramon M. Determinants of Face Recognition: The Role of Target Prevalence and Similarity. J Cogn 2024; 7:27. [PMID: 38405634 PMCID: PMC10885834 DOI: 10.5334/joc.339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies of facial identity processing typically assess perception (via matching) and/or memory (via recognition), with experimental designs differing with respect to one important aspect: Target Prevalence. Some designs include "target absent" (TA) among "target present" (TP) trials. In visual search tasks, TA trials shift an observer's decisional criterion towards a stricter one, increasing misses. However, decisional biases will differ between individuals and across an individual's decisions as well. In this way, excluding TA trials ensures comparable levels of expectation and thus a more controlled decisional bias both within and between observers by not considering correct rejections and false alarms. However, TA trials may occur, e.g., in police line-ups, where it is important to consider observers' face recognition ability net of the potential biases introduced by TA and TP trials. And, while these have been investigated in numerous other stimulus domains, their effects have not yet been extended to face recognition. We therefore sought to fill this void by testing different versions of the previously established Models Memory Test, which measures old/new recognition of experimentally learned facial identities. Our study found significant expectation effects, driven by target prevalence that persist even given prevalence changes. This implies that face recognition - even measured with naturalistic changes - is influenced by prior perceptual decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Boudry
- Applied Face Cognition Lab, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jeffrey D. Nador
- Applied Face Cognition Lab, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Meike Ramon
- Applied Face Cognition Lab, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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4
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Ventura P, Pascual M, Cruz F, Araújo S. From Perugino to Picasso revisited: Electrophysiological responses to faces in paintings from different art styles. Neuropsychologia 2024; 193:108742. [PMID: 38056623 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral research (Ventura, et al., 2023) suggested that pictorial representations of faces varying along a realism-distortion spectrum elicit holistic processing as natural faces. Whether holistic face neural responses are engaged similarly remains, however, underexplored. In the present study, we evaluated the neural correlates of naturalist and artistic face processing, by exploring electrophysiological responses to faces in photographs versus in four major painting styles. The N170 response to faces in photographs was indistinguishable from that elicited by faces in the renaissance art style (depicting the most realistic faces), whilst both categories elicited larger N170 than faces in other art styles (post-impressionism, expressionism, and cubism), with a gradation in brain activity. The present evidence suggest that visual processing may become finer grained the more the realistic nature of the face. Despite behavioral equivalence, the neural mechanisms for holistic processing of natural faces and faces in diverse art styles are not equivalent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Ventura
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Mariona Pascual
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Francisco Cruz
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Susana Araújo
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal
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5
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Wang Z, Tan Q, Frank SM, Sasaki Y, Sheinberg D, Phillips KA, Watanabe T. Learning of the same task subserved by substantially different mechanisms between patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and healthy individuals. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.19.571882. [PMID: 38187719 PMCID: PMC10769234 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.19.571882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
It is generally believed that learning of a perceptual task involving low-level neuronal mechanisms is similar between individuals. However, it is unclear whether this assumption also applies to individuals with psychiatric disorders that are known to have altered brain activation during visual processing. We investigated this question in patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by distressing or impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in one's physical appearance, and in healthy controls. Participants completed six training sessions on separate days on a visual detection task for human faces with low spatial frequency (LSF) components. Brain activation during task performance was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on separate days prior to and after training. The behavioral results showed that both groups of participants improved on the visual detection task to a similar extent through training. Despite this similarity in behavioral improvement, neuronal changes in the Fusiform Face Area (FFA), a core cortical region involved in face processing, with training were substantially different between groups. First, activation in the right FFA for LSF faces relative to High Spatial Frequency (HSF) faces that were used as an untrained control increased after training in BDD patients but decreased in controls. Second, resting state functional connectivity between left and right FFAs decreased after training in BDD patients but increased in controls. Contrary to the assumption that learning of a perceptual task is subserved by the same neuronal mechanisms across individuals, our results indicate that the neuronal mechanisms involved in learning of a face detection task differ fundamentally between patients with BDD and healthy individuals. The involvement of different neuronal mechanisms for learning of even simple perceptual tasks in patients with BDD might reflect the brain's adaptations to altered functions imposed by the psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyan Wang
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Institute for Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Qingleng Tan
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sebastian M. Frank
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Institute for Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Yuka Sasaki
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - David Sheinberg
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 222 Richmond St., Providence, RI 02903, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Katharine A. Phillips
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 222 Richmond St., Providence, RI 02903, USA
- Present address: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University 15 E 62nd St 5th floor, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Takeo Watanabe
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
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6
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Zhang H, Zhang K, Zhang Z, Zhao M, Liu Q, Luo W, Wu H. Social conformity is associated with inter-trial electroencephalogram variability. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1523:104-118. [PMID: 36964981 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Abstract
Human society encompasses diverse social influences, and people experience events differently and may behave differently under such influence, including in forming an impression of others. However, little is known about the underlying neural relevance of individual differences in following others' opinions or social norms. In the present study, we designed a series of tasks centered on social influence to investigate the underlying relevance between an individual's degree of social conformity and their neural variability. We found that individual differences under the social influence are associated with the amount of inter-trial electroencephalogram (EEG) variability over multiple stages in a conformity task (making face judgments and receiving social influence). This association was robust in the alpha band over the frontal and occipital electrodes for negative social influence. We also found that inter-trial EEG variability is a very stable, participant-driven internal state measurement and could be interpreted as mindset instability. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that higher inter-trial EEG variability may be related to higher mindset instability, which makes participants more vulnerable to exposed external social influence. The present study provides a novel approach that considers the stability of one's endogenous neural signal during tasks and links it to human social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoming Zhang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Kunkun Zhang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Ziqi Zhang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Mingqi Zhao
- Research Center for Motor Control and Neuroplasticity, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Quanying Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Smart Healthcare Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Macau, China
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7
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Gerlach C, Kühn CD, Mathiassen AB, Kristensen CL, Starrfelt R. The face inversion effect or the face upright effect? Cognition 2023; 232:105335. [PMID: 36446285 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The face inversion effect (FIE) refers to the observation that presenting stimuli upside-down impairs the processing of faces disproportionally more than other mono-oriented objects. This has been taken as evidence that processing of faces and objects differ qualitatively. However, nearly all FIE studies are based on comparing individuation of upright faces, which most people are rather good at, with individuation of objects most people are much less familiar with individuating (e.g., radios and airplanes). Consequently, the FIE may mainly reflect differences between categories in how they are processed prior to inversion, with within-category discrimination of upright faces being a much more familiar task than within-category discrimination among members belonging to other object classes. We tested this hypothesis by comparing inversion effects for faces and objects using object recognition tasks that do not require within-category discrimination (object decision and old/new recognition memory tasks). In all tasks (seven with objects and two with faces) we find credible inversion effects, but in no instance were these effects significantly larger for faces than for objects. This suggests that the FIE can be a product of familiarity with the type of identification process required in the upright conditions rather than some process that is selectively affected for faces when stimuli are inverted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christina D Kühn
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Department of Psychology, Copenhagen University, Denmark
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8
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Wang Z, Ni H, Zhou X, Yang X, Zheng Z, Sun YHP, Zhang X, Jin H. Looking at the upper facial half enlarges the range of holistic face processing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2419. [PMID: 36765162 PMCID: PMC9918552 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29583-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggested that upper and lower facial halves might be involved in the human holistic face processing differently. In this study, we replicated and extended the finding above. In Experiment 1, we used the standard composite-face task to measure holistic face processing when participants made judgements on the upper and lower facial halves separately. Results showed that the composite-face effect was stronger for the upper facial half compared to the lower half. In Experiment 2, we investigated how facial information was integrated when participants focused on different features, using the perceptual field paradigm. Results showed that: (1) more "peripheral faces" were chosen when participants fixated at the eyes than when they fixated at the mouth; (2) less "peripheral faces" were chosen for inverted faces regardless of the fixated features. Findings from both experiments together indicate that more peripheral facial information were integrated when participants focused on the upper facial half, highlighting the significance of focusing on the upper facial half in face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Hao Ni
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiteng Yang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziyi Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu-Hao P Sun
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haiyang Jin
- Division of Science, Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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9
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Effects of Natural Scene Inversion on Visual-evoked Brain Potentials and Pupillary Responses: A Matter of Effortful Processing of Unfamiliar Configurations. Neuroscience 2023; 509:201-209. [PMID: 36462569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The inversion of a picture of a face hampers the accuracy and speed at which observers can perceptually process it. Event-related potentials and pupillary responses, successfully used as biomarkers of face inversion in the past, suggest that the perception of visual features, that are organized in an unfamiliar manner, recruits demanding additional processes. However, it remains unclear whether such inversion effects generalize beyond face stimuli and whether indeed more mental effort is needed to process inverted images. Here we aimed to study the effects of natural scene inversion on visual evoked potentials and pupil dilations. We simultaneously measured responses of 47 human participants to presentations of images showing upright or inverted natural scenes. For inverted scenes, we observed relatively stronger occipito-temporo-parietal N1 peak amplitudes and larger pupil dilations (on top of an initial orienting response) than for upright scenes. This study revealed neural and physiological markers of natural scene inversion that are in line with inversion effects of other stimulus types and demonstrates the robustness and generalizability of the phenomenon that unfamiliar configurations of visual content require increased processing effort.
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10
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Desaunay P, Guillery B, Moussaoui E, Eustache F, Bowler DM, Guénolé F. Brain correlates of declarative memory atypicalities in autism: a systematic review of functional neuroimaging findings. Mol Autism 2023; 14:2. [PMID: 36627713 PMCID: PMC9832704 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00525-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-described atypicalities of memory functioning experienced by people with autism have major implications for daily living, academic learning, as well as cognitive remediation. Though behavioral studies have identified a robust profile of memory strengths and weaknesses in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few works have attempted to establish a synthesis concerning their neural bases. In this systematic review of functional neuroimaging studies, we highlight functional brain asymmetries in three anatomical planes during memory processing between individuals with ASD and typical development. These asymmetries consist of greater activity of the left hemisphere than the right in ASD participants, of posterior brain regions-including hippocampus-rather than anterior ones, and presumably of the ventral (occipito-temporal) streams rather than the dorsal (occipito-parietal) ones. These functional alterations may be linked to atypical memory processes in ASD, including the pre-eminence of verbal over spatial information, impaired active maintenance in working memory, and preserved relational memory despite poor context processing in episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Desaunay
- grid.411149.80000 0004 0472 0160Service de Psychiatrie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent, CHU de Caen Normandie, 27 rue des compagnons, 14000 Caen, France ,grid.412043.00000 0001 2186 4076EPHE, INSERM, U1077, Pôle des Formations et de Recherche en Santé, CHU de Caen Normandie, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, 2 rue des Rochambelles, 14032 Caen Cedex CS, France
| | - Bérengère Guillery
- grid.412043.00000 0001 2186 4076EPHE, INSERM, U1077, Pôle des Formations et de Recherche en Santé, CHU de Caen Normandie, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, 2 rue des Rochambelles, 14032 Caen Cedex CS, France
| | - Edgar Moussaoui
- grid.411149.80000 0004 0472 0160Service de Psychiatrie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent, CHU de Caen Normandie, 27 rue des compagnons, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Francis Eustache
- grid.412043.00000 0001 2186 4076EPHE, INSERM, U1077, Pôle des Formations et de Recherche en Santé, CHU de Caen Normandie, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, 2 rue des Rochambelles, 14032 Caen Cedex CS, France
| | - Dermot M. Bowler
- grid.28577.3f0000 0004 1936 8497Autism Research Group, City University of London, DG04 Rhind Building, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB London, UK
| | - Fabian Guénolé
- grid.411149.80000 0004 0472 0160Service de Psychiatrie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent, CHU de Caen Normandie, 27 rue des compagnons, 14000 Caen, France ,grid.412043.00000 0001 2186 4076EPHE, INSERM, U1077, Pôle des Formations et de Recherche en Santé, CHU de Caen Normandie, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, 2 rue des Rochambelles, 14032 Caen Cedex CS, France ,grid.412043.00000 0001 2186 4076Faculté de Médecine, Pôle des Formation et de Recherche en Santé, Université de Caen Normandie, 2 rue des Rochambelles, 14032 Caen cedex CS, France
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11
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Romagnano V, Sokolov AN, Steinwand P, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Face pareidolia in male schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:112. [PMID: 36517504 PMCID: PMC9751144 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00315-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Faces are valuable signals for efficient social interaction. Yet, social cognition including the sensitivity to a coarse face scheme may be deviant in schizophrenia (SZ). Tuning to faces in non-face images such as shadows, grilled toasts, or ink blots is termed face pareidolia. This phenomenon is poorly investigated in SZ. Here face tuning was assessed in 44 male participants with SZ and person-by-person matched controls by using recently created Face-n-Thing images (photographs of non-face objects to a varying degree resembling a face). The advantage of these images is that single components do not automatically trigger face processing. Participants were administered a set of images with upright and inverted (180° in the image plane) orientation. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, they had to indicate whether an image resembled a face. The findings showed that: (i) With upright orientation, SZ patients exhibited deficits in face tuning: they provided much fewer face responses than controls. (ii) Inversion generally hindered face pareidolia. However, while in neurotypical males, inversion led to a drastic drop in face impression, in SZ, the impact of orientation was reduced. (iii) Finally, in accord with the signal detection theory analysis, the sensitivity index (d-prime) was lower in SZ, whereas no difference occurred in decision criterion. The outcome suggests altered face pareidolia in SZ is caused by lower face sensitivity rather than by alterations in cognitive bias. Comparison of these findings with earlier evidence confirms that tuning to social signals is lower in SZ, and warrants tailored brain imaging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Steinwand
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
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12
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Schore A. Right brain-to-right brain psychotherapy: recent scientific and clinical advances. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022; 21:46. [PMID: 36403062 PMCID: PMC9675148 DOI: 10.1186/s12991-022-00420-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This article overviews my recent acceptance of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sapienza University of Rome, in which I discussed three decades of my work on the right brain in development, psychopathogenesis, and psychotherapy. In the following, I offer current brain laterality and hemispheric asymmetry research indicating that right brain emotional and relational processes operate beneath conscious awareness not only in early human development, but over the lifespan. I discuss recent interdisciplinary studies on the central role of ultrarapid right brain-to-right brain intersubjective communications of face, voice, and gesture and the implicit regulation of emotion in nonverbal attachment dynamics. Special emphasis is on the fundamental psychobiological process of interpersonal synchrony, and on the evolutionary mechanism of attachment, the interactive regulation of biological synchrony within and between organisms. I then present some clinical applications, suggesting that effective therapeutic work with "primitive" nonverbal emotional attachment dynamics focuses not on conscious verbal insight but on the formation of an unconscious emotion-communicating and regulating bond within the therapeutic relationship. Lastly, I review recent hyperscanning research of the patient's and therapist's brains during a face-to-face, emotionally focused psychotherapy session that supports the right brain-to-right brain communication model. I end suggesting that the right brain is dominant in both short-term symptom-reducing and long-term growth-promoting deep psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Schore
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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13
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Haartsen R, Mason L, Garces P, Gui A, Charman T, Tillmann J, Johnson MH, Buitelaar JK, Loth E, Murphy D, Jones EJH. Qualitative differences in the spatiotemporal brain states supporting configural face processing emerge in adolescence in autism. Cortex 2022; 155:13-29. [PMID: 35961249 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying the neural processing of faces can illuminate the mechanisms of compromised social expertise in autism. To resolve a longstanding debate, we examined whether differences in configural face processing in autism are underpinned by quantitative differences in the activation of typical face processing pathways, or the recruitment of non-typical neural systems. METHODS We investigated spatial and temporal characteristics of event-related EEG responses to upright and inverted faces in a large sample of children, adolescents, and adults with and without autism. We examined topographic analyses of variance and global field power to identify group differences in the spatial and temporal response to face inversion. We then examined how quasi-stable spatiotemporal profiles - microstates - are modulated by face orientation and diagnostic group. RESULTS Upright and inverted faces produced distinct profiles of topography and strength in the topographical analyses. These topographical profiles differed between diagnostic groups in adolescents, but not in children or adults. In the microstate analysis, the autistic group showed differences in the activation strength of normative microstates during early-stage processing at all ages, suggesting consistent quantitative differences in the operation of typical processing pathways; qualitative differences in microstate topographies during late-stage processing became prominent in adults, suggesting the increasing involvement of non-typical neural systems with processing time and over development. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that early difficulties with configural face processing may trigger later compensatory processes in autism that emerge in later development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rianne Haartsen
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, United Kingdom.
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar Garces
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anna Gui
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Tony Charman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Julian Tillmann
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Radboud University Medical Centre, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Eva Loth
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Declan Murphy
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, United Kingdom
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14
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Liu X, Balestrieri E, Melcher D. Evidence for a theta-band behavioural oscillation in rapid face detection. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:5033-5046. [PMID: 35943892 PMCID: PMC9805000 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Theories of rhythmic perception propose that perceptual sampling operates in a periodic way, with alternating moments of high and low responsiveness to sensory inputs. This rhythmic sampling is linked to neural oscillations and thought to produce fluctuations in behavioural outcomes. Previous studies have revealed theta- and alpha-band behavioural oscillations in low-level visual tasks and object categorization. However, less is known about fluctuations in face perception, for which the human brain has developed a highly specialized network. To investigate this, we ran an online study (N = 179) incorporating the dense sampling technique with a dual-target rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm. In each trial, a stream of object images was presented at 30 Hz and participants were tasked with detecting whether or not there was a face image in the sequence. On some trials, one or two (identical) face images (the target) were embedded in each stream. On dual-target trials, the targets were separated by an interstimulus interval (ISI) that varied between 0 to 633 ms. The task was to indicate the presence of the target and its gender if present. Performance varied as a function of ISI, with a significant behavioural oscillation in the face detection task at 7.5 Hz, driven mainly by the male target faces. This finding is consistent with a high theta-band-based fluctuation in visual processing. Such fluctuations might reflect rhythmic attentional sampling or, alternatively, feedback loops involved in updating top-down predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Liu
- New York University Abu DhabiAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Elio Balestrieri
- Institute of PsychologyUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany,Otto‐Creutzfeldt‐Center for Cognitive and Behavioral NeuroscienceUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - David Melcher
- New York University Abu DhabiAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
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15
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Liu X, Zheng G, Wang X, Li Y, Ji S, Zhang Y, Yao C, Zhang Y, Hu B. The brain activation of anxiety disorders with emotional stimuli-an fMRI ALE meta-analysis. Neurocase 2022; 28:448-457. [PMID: 36548914 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2022.2160262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies have analyzed the state of brain activation about anxiety disorders under emotional stimuli. However, there is no meta-analysis to assess the commonality and specificity activation concerning different subtypes of anxiety. Here, we used ALE to assess this. 29 studies revealed increased bilateral amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus activation in anxiety disorders during emotional stimuli. Moreover, we observed decreased activations in the posterior cingulate, lingual gyrus, and precuneus. In sub-analysis, although different anxiety showed dissimilar activations, the principal activations were observed in limbic lobe, which might indicate the limbic circuit was the main neural reflection of anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Liu
- School of Computer Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
| | - Guowei Zheng
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiuzhen Wang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongchao Li
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Shanling Ji
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Chaofan Yao
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yinghui Zhang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Bin Hu
- School of Computer Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China.,Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Joint Research Center for Cognitive Neurosensor Technology of Lanzhou University & Institute of Semiconductors, Lanzhou, China.,School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing, China
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16
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Sun Y, Wang J, Ye Q, Liu B, Zhong P, Li C, Cao X. Developmental trajectories of expert perception processing of Chinese characters in primary school children. Front Psychol 2022; 13:932666. [PMID: 35978799 PMCID: PMC9376261 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.932666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that inversion effect and left-side bias are stable expertise markers in Chinese character processing among adults. However, it is less clear how these markers develop early on (i.e., among primary school students). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the development of the two markers by comparing primary school-aged students of three age groups (Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5) and adults in tests of inversion effect (Experiment 1) and left-sided bias effect (Experiment 2). The results replicated that both effects during Chinese character processing were present among adults. However, more importantly, the effects were different among primary school-aged students in different grades: the inversion effect was found as early as in Grade 1, but the left-side bias effect did not emerge in Grade 1 and as approximated that of adults until Grade 3. The study suggested a potential dissociation in developing different aspects of expertise during Chinese character processing in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yini Sun
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Jianping Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Qing Ye
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Baiwei Liu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Ping Zhong
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Chenglin Li
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Xiaohua Cao
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaohua Cao,
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17
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Gomez A, Lio G, Costa M, Sirigu A, Demily C. Dissociation of early and late face-related processes in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2022; 17:244. [PMID: 35733166 PMCID: PMC9215067 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-022-02395-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Williams syndrome (WS) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions associated with atypical but opposite face-to-face interactions patterns: WS patients overly stare at others, ASD individuals escape eye contact. Whether these behaviors result from dissociable visual processes within the occipito-temporal pathways is unknown. Using high-density electroencephalography, multivariate signal processing algorithms and a protocol designed to identify and extract evoked activities sensitive to facial cues, we investigated how WS (N = 14), ASD (N = 14) and neurotypical subjects (N = 14) decode the information content of a face stimulus. Results We found two neural components in neurotypical participants, both strongest when the eye region was projected onto the subject's fovea, simulating a direct eye contact situation, and weakest over more distant regions, reaching a minimum when the focused region was outside the stimulus face. The first component peaks at 170 ms, an early signal known to be implicated in low-level face features. The second is identified later, 260 ms post-stimulus onset and is implicated in decoding salient face social cues. Remarkably, both components were found distinctly impaired and preserved in WS and ASD. In WS, we could weakly decode the 170 ms signal based on our regressor relative to facial features, probably due to their relatively poor ability to process faces’ morphology, while the late 260 ms component was highly significant. The reverse pattern was observed in ASD participants who showed neurotypical like early 170 ms evoked activity but impaired late evoked 260 ms signal. Conclusions Our study reveals a dissociation between WS and ASD patients and points at different neural origins for their social impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Gomez
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, UCBL1, UJM, Lyon, France.
| | - Guillaume Lio
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France
| | - Manuela Costa
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, University Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela Sirigu
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France
| | - Caroline Demily
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France. .,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France.
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18
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Rossion B. Twenty years of investigation with the case of prosopagnosia PS to understand human face identity recognition. Part II: Neural basis. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108279. [PMID: 35667496 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Patient PS sustained her dramatic brain injury in 1992, the same year as the first report of a neuroimaging study of human face recognition. The present paper complements the review on the functional nature of PS's prosopagnosia (part I), illustrating how her case study directly, i.e., through neuroimaging investigations of her brain structure and activity, but also indirectly, through neural studies performed on other clinical cases and neurotypical individuals, inspired and constrained neural models of human face recognition. In the dominant right hemisphere for face recognition in humans, PS's main lesion concerns (inputs to) the inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), in a region where face-selective activity is typically found in normal individuals ('Occipital Face Area', OFA). Her case study initially supported the criticality of this region for face identity recognition (FIR) and provided the impetus for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), intracerebral electrical stimulation, and cortical surgery studies that have generally supported this view. Despite PS's right IOG lesion, typical face-selectivity is found anteriorly in the middle portion of the fusiform gyrus, a hominoid structure (termed the right 'Fusiform Face Area', FFA) that is widely considered to be the most important region for human face recognition. This finding led to the original proposal of direct anatomico-functional connections from early visual cortices to the FFA, bypassing the IOG/OFA (lulu), a hypothesis supported by further neuroimaging studies of PS, other neurological cases and neuro-typical individuals with original visual stimulation paradigms, data recordings and analyses. The proposal of a lack of sensitivity to face identity in PS's right FFA due to defective reentrant inputs from the IOG/FFA has also been supported by other cases, functional connectivity and cortical surgery studies. Overall, neural studies of, and based on, the case of prosopagnosia PS strongly question the hierarchical organization of the human neural face recognition system, supporting a more flexible and dynamic view of this key social brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Rossion
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000, Nancy, France; CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-5400, France; Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Louvain, Belgium.
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19
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Zhang T, Yang Y, Xu L, Tang X, Hu Y, Xiong X, Wei Y, Cui H, Tang Y, Liu H, Chen T, Liu Z, Hui L, Li C, Guo X, Wang J. Inefficient integration during multiple facial processing in pre-morbid and early phases of psychosis. World J Biol Psychiatry 2022; 23:361-373. [PMID: 34842500 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2021.2011402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We used eye-tracking to evaluate multiple facial context processing and event-related potential (ERP) to evaluate multiple facial recognition in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. METHODS In total, 173 subjects (83 CHRs and 90 healthy controls [HCs]) were included and their emotion perception performances were accessed. A total of 40 CHRs and 40 well-matched HCs completed an eye-tracking task where they viewed pictures depicting a person in the foreground, presented as context-free, context-compatible, and context-incompatible. During the two-year follow-up, 26 CHRs developed psychosis, including 17 individuals who developed first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Eighteen well-matched HCs were made to complete the face number detection ERP task with image stimuli of one, two, or three faces. RESULTS Compared to the HC group, the CHR group showed reduced visual attention to contextual processing when viewing multiple faces. With the increasing complexity of contextual faces, the differences in eye-tracking characteristics also increased. In the ERP task, the N170 amplitude decreased with a higher face number in FES patients, while it increased with a higher face number in HCs. CONCLUSIONS Individuals in the very early phase of psychosis showed facial processing deficits with supporting evidence of different scan paths during context processing and disruption of N170 during multiple facial recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- TianHong Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - YingYu Yang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - LiHua Xu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - XiaoChen Tang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - YeGang Hu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Xiong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - YanYan Wei
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - HuiRu Cui
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - YingYing Tang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - HaiChun Liu
- Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Big Data Research Lab, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.,Senior Research Fellow, Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.,Niacin (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi Liu
- School of Communication and Information Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Hui
- Institute of Mental Health, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - ChunBo Li
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China
| | - XiaoLi Guo
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - JiJun Wang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders(13dz2260500), Shanghai, China.,Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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20
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Dehaghani NS, Maess B, Khosrowabadi R, Lashgari R, Braeutigam S, Zarei M. Pre-stimulus Alpha Activity Modulates Face and Object Processing in the Intra-Parietal Sulcus, a MEG Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:831781. [PMID: 35585993 PMCID: PMC9108229 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.831781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Face perception is crucial in all social animals. Recent studies have shown that pre-stimulus oscillations of brain activity modulate the perceptual performance of face vs. non-face stimuli, specifically under challenging conditions. However, it is unclear if this effect also occurs during simple tasks, and if so in which brain regions. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a 1-back task in which participants decided if the two sequentially presented stimuli were the same or not in each trial. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of pre-stimulus alpha oscillation on the perception of face (human and monkey) and non-face stimuli. Our results showed that pre-stimulus activity in the left occipital face area (OFA) modulated responses in the intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) at around 170 ms after the presentation of human face stimuli. This effect was also found after participants were shown images of motorcycles. In this case, the IPS was modulated by pre-stimulus activity in the right OFA and the right fusiform face area (FFA). We conclude that pre-stimulus modulation of post-stimulus response also occurs during simple tasks and is therefore independent of behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Soltani Dehaghani
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Burkhard Maess
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Lashgari
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sven Braeutigam
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mojtaba Zarei
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, and Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Mojtaba Zarei
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21
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Li CH, Wang MY, Kuo BC. The effects of stimulus inversion on the neural representations of Chinese character and face recognition. Neuropsychologia 2022; 164:108090. [PMID: 34801520 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates whether stimulus inversion influences neural responses of Chinese character recognition similarly to its effect on face recognition in category-selective and object-related brain areas using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants performed a one-back matching task for simple (one radical) and compound (two radicals) Chinese characters and faces with upright and inverted orientations. Inverted stimuli produced slower response times with stronger activity within the fusiform gyrus (FG) than upright stimuli for faces and Chinese characters. While common inversion-related activation was identified in the left FG among stimulus types, we observed a significant inter-regional correlation between the left FG and the intraparietal sulcus for face inversion. Importantly, analyses of region-of-interest (ROI) multivariate pattern classification showed that classifiers trained on face inversion can decode the representations of character inversion in the character-selective ROI. However, this was not true for face inversion in face-selective ROIs when the classifiers were trained on characters. Similar activity patterns for character and face inversion were observed in the object-related ROIs. We also showed higher decoding accuracy for upright stimuli in the face-selective ROI than in the character-selective ROI but this was not true for inverted ones or when patterns were examined in the object-related ROIs. Together, our results support shared and distinct configural representations for character and face recognition in category-selective and object-related brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hui Li
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Man-Ying Wang
- Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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22
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Kolijn L, van den Bulk BG, Euser S, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van IJzendoorn MH, Huffmeijer R. Does neural face processing explain effects of an attachment-based intervention on maternal sensitivity? A randomized controlled study including pre- and postintervention measures. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e01972. [PMID: 34881520 PMCID: PMC8785642 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although there is a large body of literature highlighting the behavioral effects of parenting interventions, studies on the neurocognitive mechanisms involved in such intervention effects remain scarce. PURPOSE The aim of the current study was to test whether changes in neural face processing (as reflected in N170 amplitudes) would act as a mediator in the association between the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) and maternal sensitivity. METHODS A total of 66 mothers of whom a random 33% received the VIPP-SD and the others a "dummy" intervention participated in pre- and postintervention assessments. We recorded mothers' electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in response to photographs of children's neutral, happy, and angry facial expressions. Maternal sensitivity was observed while mothers interacted with their offspring in a semi-structured play situation. RESULTS In contrast with our expectations, we did not find evidence for mediation of intervention effects on maternal sensitivity by the N170. CONCLUSION We discuss that parenting support programs may yield different effects on neurocognitive processes depending on the population and provide recommendations for future research. Our study underscores the importance of reporting null findings and preregistering studies in the field of neurocognitive research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kolijn
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, North Holland, 1081 BT, The Netherlands.,Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bianca G van den Bulk
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Euser
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, North Holland, 1081 BT, The Netherlands.,Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rens Huffmeijer
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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23
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Is human face recognition lateralized to the right hemisphere due to neural competition with left-lateralized visual word recognition? A critical review. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:599-629. [PMID: 34731327 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02370-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, which is well documented and appears to be specific to the human species, remains a scientific mystery. According to a long-standing view, the evolution of language, which is typically substantiated in the left hemisphere, competes with the cortical space in that hemisphere available for visuospatial processes, including face recognition. Over the last decade, a specific hypothesis derived from this view according to which neural competition in the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex with selective representations of letter strings causes right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition, has generated considerable interest and research in the scientific community. Here, a systematic review of studies performed in various populations (infants, children, literate and illiterate adults, left-handed adults) and methodologies (behavior, lesion studies, (intra)electroencephalography, neuroimaging) offers little if any support for this reading lateralized neural competition hypothesis. Specifically, right-lateralized face-selective neural activity already emerges at a few months of age, well before reading acquisition. Moreover, consistent evidence of face recognition performance and its right hemispheric lateralization being modulated by literacy level during development or at adulthood is lacking. Given the absence of solid alternative hypotheses and the key role of neural competition in the sensory-motor cortices for selectivity of representations, learning, and plasticity, a revised language-related neural competition hypothesis for the right hemispheric lateralization of face recognition should be further explored in future research, albeit with substantial conceptual clarification and advances in methodological rigor.
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24
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Shoham A, Kliger L, Yovel G. Learning Faces as Concepts Improves Face Recognition by Engaging the Social Brain Network. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:nsab096. [PMID: 34402904 PMCID: PMC8881637 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Face recognition benefits from associating social information to faces during learning. This has been demonstrated by better recognition for faces that underwent social than perceptual evaluations. Two hypotheses were proposed to account for this effect. According to the feature-elaboration hypothesis, social-evaluations encourage elaborated processing of perceptual information from faces (Winograd, 1981). According to a social-representation hypothesis, social-evaluations convert faces from a perceptual representation to a socially meaningful representation of a person. To decide between these two hypotheses, we ran a functional MRI study in which we functionally localized the posterior face-selective brain areas and social processing brain areas. Participants watched video-clips of young adults and were asked to study them for a recognition test, while making either perceptual evaluations or social evaluations about them. During the fMRI scan, participants performed an old/new recognition test. Behavioural findings replicated better recognition for faces that underwent social then perceptual evaluations. fMRI results showed higher response during the recognition phase for the faces that were learned socially than perceptually, in the social-brain network but not in posterior face-selective network. These results support the social-representation hypothesis and highlight the important role that social processing mechanisms, rather than purely perceptual processes, play in face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adva Shoham
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Libi Kliger
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Galit Yovel
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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25
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Marzi T, Gronchi G, Turano MT, Giovannelli F, Giganti F, Rebai M, Viggiano MP. Mapping the Featural and Holistic Face Processing of Bad and Good Face Recognizers. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:bs11050075. [PMID: 34068256 PMCID: PMC8153130 DOI: 10.3390/bs11050075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual abilities in face recognition (good versus bad recognizers) were explored by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). The adaptation response profile of the N170 component to whole faces, eyes and mouths was used in order to highlight the crucial role of individual abilities in identity repetition processes for unfamiliar faces. The main point of this study is to underline the importance of characterizing the performance (bad or good) of the participants and to show that behaviorally selected groups might reveal neural differences. Good recognizers showed selective right hemisphere N170 repetition effects for whole faces and not for features. On the contrary, bad recognizers showed a general repetition effect not specifically related to faces and more pronounced processing for features. These findings suggest a different contribution of holistic and featural analysis in bad and good performers. In conclusion, we propose that the N170 might be used as a tool to tease apart face encoding processes as a function of individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa Marzi
- Section of Psychology—Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child’s Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (T.M.); (G.G.); (F.G.); (F.G.)
| | - Giorgio Gronchi
- Section of Psychology—Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child’s Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (T.M.); (G.G.); (F.G.); (F.G.)
| | | | - Fabio Giovannelli
- Section of Psychology—Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child’s Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (T.M.); (G.G.); (F.G.); (F.G.)
| | - Fiorenza Giganti
- Section of Psychology—Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child’s Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (T.M.); (G.G.); (F.G.); (F.G.)
| | - Mohamed Rebai
- Department of Psychology, University of Rouen, 76130 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France;
| | - Maria Pia Viggiano
- Section of Psychology—Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child’s Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (T.M.); (G.G.); (F.G.); (F.G.)
- Correspondence:
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26
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Proverbio AM. Sexual Dimorphism in Hemispheric Processing of Faces in Humans: A Meta-Analysis of 817 Cases. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1023-1035. [PMID: 33835164 PMCID: PMC8483282 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A well-established neuroimaging literature predicts a right-sided asymmetry in the activation of face-devoted areas such as the fusiform gyrus (FG) and its resulting M/N170 response during face processing. However, the face-related response sometimes appears to be bihemispheric. A few studies have argued that bilaterality depended on the sex composition of the sample. To shed light on this matter, two meta-analyses were conducted starting from a large initial database of 250 ERP (Event-related potentials)/MEG (Magnetoencephalography) peer-reviewed scientific articles. Paper coverage was from 1985 to 2020. Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria of a sufficiently large and balanced sample size with strictly right-handed and healthy participants aged 18–35 years and N170 measurements in response to neutral front view faces at left and right occipito/temporal sites. The data of 817 male (n = 414) and female (n = 403) healthy adults were subjected to repeated-measures analyses of variance. The results of statistical analyses from the data of 17 independent studies (from Asia, Europe and America) seem to robustly indicate the presence of a sex difference in the way the two cerebral hemispheres process facial information in humans, with a marked right-sided asymmetry of the bioelectrical activity in males and a bilateral or left-sided activity in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mado Proverbio
- Neuro-Mi Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20162 Milan, Italy
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27
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Johnston A, Brown BB, Elson R. Synchronous facial action binds dynamic facial features. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7191. [PMID: 33785856 PMCID: PMC8010062 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86725-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We asked how dynamic facial features are perceptually grouped. To address this question, we varied the timing of mouth movements relative to eyebrow movements, while measuring the detectability of a small temporal misalignment between a pair of oscillating eyebrows-an eyebrow wave. We found eyebrow wave detection performance was worse for synchronous movements of the eyebrows and mouth. Subsequently, we found this effect was specific to stimuli presented to the right visual field, implicating the involvement of left lateralised visual speech areas. Adaptation has been used as a tool in low-level vision to establish the presence of separable visual channels. Adaptation to moving eyebrows and mouths with various relative timings reduced eyebrow wave detection but only when the adapting mouth and eyebrows moved asynchronously. Inverting the face led to a greater reduction in detection after adaptation particularly for asynchronous facial motion at test. We conclude that synchronous motion binds dynamic facial features whereas asynchronous motion releases them, allowing adaptation to impair eyebrow wave detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Johnston
- School of Psychology, University Park, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Ben B Brown
- School of Psychology, University Park, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Ryan Elson
- School of Psychology, University Park, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
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28
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The left-side bias is not unique to own-race face processing. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 83:1562-1570. [PMID: 33629262 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02264-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans show a clear left-side bias in face processing. A chimeric face constructed with the left side (from the viewer's perspective) of a face and its mirror image is usually rated as more resemblant to the original face than a chimeric face constructed with the right side of the same face. Previous studies have characterized the left-side bias mainly with own-race faces, but it remains unclear whether this effect is race specific or if it reflects an universal visual expertise. One hundred and five Chinese students completed two versions of a chimeric face-identification task. The results revealed a significant left-side bias for both own-race (Chinese) and other-race (Caucasian) faces, suggesting that the left-side bias reflects an universal visual expertise in face processing.
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29
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Ferrari C, Vecchi T, Sciamanna G, Blandini F, Pisani A, Natoli S. Facemasks and face recognition: Potential impact on synaptic plasticity. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 153:105319. [PMID: 33647447 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual recognition of facial expression modulates our social interactions. Compelling experimental evidence indicates that face conveys plenty of information that are fundamental for humans to interact. These are encoded at neural level in specific cortical and subcortical brain regions through activity- and experience-dependent synaptic plasticity processes. The current pandemic, due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, is causing relevant social and psychological detrimental effects. The institutional recommendations on physical distancing, namely social distancing and wearing of facemasks are effective in reducing the rate of viral spread. However, by impacting social interaction, facemasks might impair the neural responses to recognition of facial cues that are overall critical to our behaviors. In this survey, we briefly review the current knowledge on the neurobiological substrate of facial recognition and discuss how the lack of salient stimuli might impact the ability to retain and consolidate learning and memory phenomena underlying face recognition. Such an "abnormal" visual experience raises the intriguing possibility of a "reset" mechanism, a renewed ability of adult brain to undergo synaptic plasticity adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Ferrari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Tomaso Vecchi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Blandini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Antonio Pisani
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Silvia Natoli
- Department of Clinical Science and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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30
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Webb ALM. Reversing the Luminance Polarity of Control Faces: Why Are Some Negative Faces Harder to Recognize, but Easier to See? Front Psychol 2021; 11:609045. [PMID: 33551920 PMCID: PMC7858267 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.609045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Control stimuli are key for understanding the extent to which face processing relies on holistic processing, and affective evaluation versus the encoding of low-level image properties. Luminance polarity (LP) reversal combined with face inversion is a popular tool for severely disrupting the recognition of face controls. However, recent findings demonstrate visibility-recognition trade-offs for LP-reversed faces, where these face controls sometimes appear more salient despite being harder to recognize. The present report brings together findings from image analysis, simple stimuli, and behavioral data for facial recognition and visibility, in an attempt to disentangle instances where LP-reversed control faces are associated with a performance bias in terms of their perceived salience. These findings have important implications for studies of subjective face appearance, and highlight that future research must be aware of behavioral artifacts due to the possibility of trade-off effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail L M Webb
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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31
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Turbett K, Palermo R, Bell J, Hanran-Smith DA, Jeffery L. Serial dependence of facial identity reflects high-level face coding. Vision Res 2021; 182:9-19. [PMID: 33578076 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Serial dependence of facial identity is a type of bias where the perceived identity of a face is biased towards a previously presented face. There are individual differences in serial dependence strength and tuning (how the strength varies depending on stimuli similarity), and previous research has shown that both stronger and more narrowly tuned serial dependence of facial identity is associated with better face recognition abilities. These results are consistent with the idea that this bias plays a functional role in face perception. It is important, therefore, to determine whether serial dependence of facial identity reflects a high-level face-coding mechanism acting on the identity of a face or instead predominantly reflects a bias in low-level features, which are also subject to serial dependence. We first sought evidence that serial dependence of facial identity survived changes in low-level visual features, by varying face viewpoint between successive stimuli. We found that serial dependence persisted across changes in viewpoint, arguing against an entirely low-level locus for this bias. We next tested whether the bias was affected by inversion, as sensitivity to inversion is argued to be a characteristic of high-level face-selective processing. Serial dependence was stronger and more narrowly tuned for upright than inverted faces. Taken together, our results are consistent with the view that serial dependence of facial identity affects high-level visual representations and may reflect a face-coding mechanism that is operating at the level of facial identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Turbett
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
| | - Romina Palermo
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Jason Bell
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Dewi Anna Hanran-Smith
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Linda Jeffery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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32
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Pavlova MA, Romagnano V, Fallgatter AJ, Sokolov AN. Face pareidolia in the brain: Impact of gender and orientation. PLoS One 2021; 15:e0244516. [PMID: 33382767 PMCID: PMC7774913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on face sensitivity is of particular relevance during the rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic leading to social isolation, but also calling for intact interaction and sharing. Humans possess high sensitivity even to a coarse face scheme, seeing faces in non-face images where real faces do not exist. The advantage of non-face images is that single components do not trigger face processing. Here by implementing a novel set of Face-n-Thing images, we examined (i) how face tuning alters with changing display orientation, and (ii) whether it is affected by observers’ gender. Young females and males were presented with a set of Face-n-Thing images either with canonical upright orientation or inverted 180° in the image plane. Face impression was substantially impeded by display inversion. Furthermore, whereas with upright display orientation, no gender differences were found, with inversion, Face-n-Thing images elicited face impression in females significantly more often. The outcome sheds light on the origins of the face inversion effect in general. Moreover, the findings open a way for examination of face sensitivity and underwriting brain networks in neuropsychiatric conditions related to the current pandemic (such as depression and anxiety), most of which are gender/sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A. Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J. Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders (DZNE), Medical School and University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N. Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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33
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Face the food: Food plating with facial patterns influences appetite and event-related brain potentials. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-020-09859-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe presentation of visual food cues (e.g., food plating) can affect our appetite and leads to characteristic changes of early as well as late positivity in the electroencephalogram. The present event-related potential (ERP) study attempted to change ERPs and affective ratings for food pictures by rearranging the components of a depicted meal (conventional presentation) as a smiley or frowny. The images were presented to 68 women (mean age = 24 years), who rated the wanting and liking of the meals. Compared to conventional food plating, smiley and frowny meals elicited enhanced amplitudes of the P200, P300, and late positive potential (LPP) in a large occipito-parietal cluster. Frowny meals were rated as less appetizing than conventional food presentations. The mentioned ERP components are concomitants of face configuration processing (P200), automatic attention/novelty detection (P300), and voluntary attention/assignment of emotional meaning (LPP). Thus, the combination of two affective cues (food, face) in one stimulus changed the activation in motivational circuits of the brain. Also, serving a meal as a frowny could help to regulate appetite.
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34
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Herdien L, Malcolm-Smith S, Pileggi LA. Leftward cradling bias in males and its relation to autistic traits and lateralised emotion processing. Brain Cogn 2020; 147:105652. [PMID: 33338774 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent research has identified a leftward cradling bias in males, although males are much less lateralised than females. It has been suggested that on an individual level this leftward bias is strengthened as males acquire caregiving experience. Furthermore, recent explanations propose that leftward cradling bias is facilitated by right-hemispheric specialisation for processing facial emotions. Some have suggested that it is specifically facilitated by right-hemispheric specialisation for basic social-affective processes that underlie our capacity to relate to others. The present study investigated male cradling bias in relation to these three factors. Ninety-eight right-handed males aged 18-56 years were observed across four separate trials of an imaginary cradling scenario. Caregiving experience, attachment style, hemispheric lateralisation for processing facial emotion, and autistic traits were measured. A leftward cradling bias was observed in 72.4% of participants and was not contingent on caregiving experience. Regression analyses revealed that right-hemispheric lateralisation for processing facial emotions and autistic traits were both significant predictors of leftward cradling, while attachment style did not predict leftward cradling. Overall, our findings indicate that the leftward cradling bias in males is not contingent on previous caregiving experience and provide further support for right-hemispheric specialisation and basic social-affective processing explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasse Herdien
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Susan Malcolm-Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Lea-Ann Pileggi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa.
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35
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Kujala MV, Kauppi JP, Törnqvist H, Helle L, Vainio O, Kujala J, Parkkonen L. Time-resolved classification of dog brain signals reveals early processing of faces, species and emotion. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19846. [PMID: 33199715 PMCID: PMC7669855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76806-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs process faces and emotional expressions much like humans, but the time windows important for face processing in dogs are largely unknown. By combining our non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) protocol on dogs with machine-learning algorithms, we show category-specific dog brain responses to pictures of human and dog facial expressions, objects, and phase-scrambled faces. We trained a support vector machine classifier with spatiotemporal EEG data to discriminate between responses to pairs of images. The classification accuracy was highest for humans or dogs vs. scrambled images, with most informative time intervals of 100–140 ms and 240–280 ms. We also detected a response sensitive to threatening dog faces at 30–40 ms; generally, responses differentiating emotional expressions were found at 130–170 ms, and differentiation of faces from objects occurred at 120–130 ms. The cortical sources underlying the highest-amplitude EEG signals were localized to the dog visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miiamaaria V Kujala
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland. .,Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, PL 57, 00014, Helsinki, Finland. .,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 12200, 00076, Aalto, Finland.
| | - Jukka-Pekka Kauppi
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 12200, 00076, Aalto, Finland.,Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Heini Törnqvist
- Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, PL 57, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Liisa Helle
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 12200, 00076, Aalto, Finland
| | - Outi Vainio
- Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, PL 57, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jan Kujala
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Lauri Parkkonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 12200, 00076, Aalto, Finland
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36
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Walla P, Chang M, Schaefer K, Windhager S. Social Perception of Faces: Brain Imaging and Subjective Ratings. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E861. [PMID: 33207720 PMCID: PMC7696491 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate how a female face is perceived in terms of its attractiveness, dominance, health, femininity-masculinity, and maturity in direct relation to the body fat percentage (BFP) conveyed by the face. To compare how young adults (ages 18 to 35) respond to different levels of body fat percentage both subjectively and objectively we collected survey ratings and electroencephalography (EEG) data across five different levels of BFP from 40 participants. We adapted the experimental design from a prior behavioral study and used calibrated and morphed female face images of five different BFP levels. The results of the survey are in consensus with the previous study and assessed to be a successful replication. From the EEG data, event-related potentials (ERPs) were extracted from one electrode location (right occipitotemporal brain region) known to be particularly sensitive to face-stimuli. We found statistically significant differences in the amplitudes of the P200 component (194 ms post stimulus onset) between the thickest face and all four other BFP conditions, and in the amplitudes of the N300 component (274 ms post stimulus onset) between the average face and three other BFP conditions. As expected, there were no significant differences among the N170 amplitudes of all five BFP conditions since this ERP component simply reflects the processing of faces in general. From these results, we can infer that holistic face encoding characterized by the N170 component in the right occipitotemporal area is followed by serial evaluative processes, whose categorical and qualitative matrix and spatiotemporal dynamics should be further explored in future studies, especially in relation to the social constructs that were focused on in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Walla
- CanBeLab, Department of Psychology, Webster Vienna Private University, Palais Wenkheim, Praterstrasse 23, 1020 Vienna, Austria;
- School of Psychology, Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan 2308, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University, Freudplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
- Faculty of Medicine, Sigmund Freud University, Freudplatz 3, 1020 Vienna, Austria
| | - Minah Chang
- CanBeLab, Department of Psychology, Webster Vienna Private University, Palais Wenkheim, Praterstrasse 23, 1020 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Katrin Schaefer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Sonja Windhager
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.S.); (S.W.)
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Meyer K, Nowparast Rostami H, Ouyang G, Debener S, Sommer W, Hildebrandt A. Mechanisms of face specificity - Differentiating speed and accuracy in face cognition by event-related potentials of central processing. Cortex 2020; 134:114-133. [PMID: 33276306 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Given the crucial role of face recognition in social life, it is hardly surprising that cognitive processes specific for faces have been identified. In previous individual differences studies, the speed (measured in easy tasks) and accuracy (difficult tasks) of face cognition (FC, involving perception and recognition of faces) have been shown to form distinct abilities, going along with divergent factorial structures. This result has been replicated, but remained unexplained. To fill this gap, we first parameterized the sub-processes underlying speed vs. accuracy in easy and difficult memory tasks for faces and houses in a large sample. Then, we analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) extracted from the EEG by using residue iteration decomposition (RIDE), yielding a central (C) component that is comparable to a purified P300. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to estimate face specificity of C component latencies and amplitudes. If performance in easy tasks relies on purely general processes that are insensitive to stimulus content, there should be no specificity of individual differences in the latency recorded in easy tasks. However, in difficult tasks specificity was expected. Results indicated that, contrary to our predictions, specificity occurred in the C component latency of both speed-based and accuracy-based measures, but was stronger in accuracy. Further analyses suggested specific relationships between the face-related C latency and FC ability. Finally, we detected specificity in RTs of easy tasks when single tasks were modeled, but not when multiple tasks were jointly modeled. This suggests that the mechanisms leading to face specificity in performance speed are distinct across tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Meyer
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Department of Psychology, Germany.
| | | | - Guang Ouyang
- The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education, Hong Kong
| | - Stefan Debener
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Department of Psychology, Germany; Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Research Center Neurosensory Science, Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Psychologie, Germany
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Department of Psychology, Germany; Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Research Center Neurosensory Science, Germany
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38
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Shao Z, Xu Y, Chen L, Wang S, Zhang M, Liu S, Wen X, Yu D, Yuan K. Dysfunction of the NAc-mPFC circuit in insomnia disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 28:102474. [PMID: 33395968 PMCID: PMC7606871 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insomnia disorder (ID) is a prevalent sleep disorder, which seriously affects people's daily life and was found to be associated with increased frequency of sleep stage shifts. Previous findings had revealed the critical role of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in sleep-wake transition. However, the neuroimaging studies of the NAc in patients with ID have been rare. We hypothesized that structural and functional abnormalities of the NAc would be implicated in ID. METHODS Twenty-six ID patients and 36 matched healthy controls (HC) were included in the current study. The volumes and corresponding resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the bilateral NAc were compared between the two groups. The abnormal RSFC in ID were then correlated with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS Compared with HC, ID patients showed significantly increased volume of right NAc. Several brain regions showed increased RSFC with the NAc in ID patients, such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate and putamen. Meanwhile, the occipital gyrus and temporal gyrus showed decreased RSFC with the NAc. Additionally, the increased RSFC strength between bilateral NAc and left mPFC was significant correlated with PSQI scores in ID patients. CONCLUSION Dysfunctions of the NAc-mPFC circuit were found in ID patients, which were associated with sleep quality measured by PSQI. The two patterns of increase and decrease of RSFC in ID patients observed in our study may reflect the state of hyperarousal and potential impairment of cognitive function in the patients, respectively. It is hoped that our study focusing on NAc-mPFC circuits could provide new insights for the neural mechanisms of ID and potential novel therapeutic targets for treatment of ID patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiang Shao
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Longmao Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Shicong Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinwen Wen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China
| | - Dahua Yu
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Pattern Recognition and Intelligent Image Processing, School of Information Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kai Yuan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, People's Republic of China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Pattern Recognition and Intelligent Image Processing, School of Information Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.
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Orlandi A, Proverbio AM. ERP indices of an orientation-dependent recognition of the human body schema. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107535. [PMID: 32561310 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
While it is well-established that the face perception is orientation-dependent, less evidence has been provided on the effects of the orientation on the body schema processing and related attentive mechanisms. Poorer performance in same/different judgment tasks and increased occipito-temporal N1 response to the inverted (vs. upright) body schema seem to hint at an orientation-dependent perceptual mechanism. The present electrophysiological study investigated the role of attentive selection processes required to recognize the inverted (vs. upright) body schema by means of the event-related potentials (ERP). 320 different images depicting body shapes (wooden dummies) as opposed to random structures of cubes were created in 3D graphics. Thirty-two right-handed participants were presented with the stimuli in an upright and inverted orientation. They were required to alternatively recognize one of the two categories of stimuli (by button press) regardless of the orientation, during EEG recording. The body inversion led to increased reaction times during body schema recognition. A slower anterior N2, larger N1, Selection Negativity (SN), and increased parietal P300 components were elicited by the perception of the inverted body schema. Slower stimulus processing and increased attention allocation were associated with the processing of the inverted body schema. The swLORETA source reconstruction (in the SN time window) showed enhanced engagement of prefrontal, limbic, and temporal regions during the perception of the inverted body schema. At the same time, the cubes' orientation did not affect ERP amplitudes. Overall, these pieces of evidence seem to suggest a crucial role of the upright orientation in the visual recognition of the human body schema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Orlandi
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Piazza Dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alice Mado Proverbio
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Piazza Dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
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40
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Shalev T, Schwartz S, Miller P, Hadad BS. Do deaf individuals have better visual skills in the periphery? Evidence from processing facial attributes. VISUAL COGNITION 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2020.1770390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tal Shalev
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sivan Schwartz
- Department of psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Paul Miller
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Bat-Sheva Hadad
- Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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41
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The occipital face area is causally involved in identity-related visual-semantic associations. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1483-1493. [PMID: 32342226 PMCID: PMC7286950 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02068-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Faces are processed in a network of areas within regions of the ventral visual stream. However, familiar faces typically are characterized by additional associated information, such as episodic memories or semantic biographical information as well. The acquisition of such non-sensory, identity-specific knowledge plays a crucial role in our ability to recognize and identify someone we know. The occipital face area (OFA), an early part of the core face-processing network, is recently found to be involved in the formation of identity-specific memory traces but it is currently unclear if this role is limited to unimodal visual information. The current experiments used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test whether the OFA is involved in the association of a face with identity-specific semantic information, such as the name or job title of a person. We applied an identity-learning task where unfamiliar faces were presented together with a name and a job title in the first encoding phase. Simultaneously, TMS pulses were applied either to the left or right OFA or to Cz, as a control. In the subsequent retrieval phase, the previously seen faces were presented either with two names or with two job titles and the task of the participants was to select the semantic information previously learned. We found that the stimulation of the right or left OFA reduced subsequent retrieval performance for the face-associated job titles. This suggests a causal role of the OFA in the association of faces and related semantic information. Furthermore, in contrast to prior findings, we did not observe hemispherical differences of the TMS intervention, suggesting a similar role of the left and right OFAs in the formation of the visual-semantic associations. Our results suggest the necessity to reconsider the hierarchical face-perception models and support the distributed and recurrent models.
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42
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Schettino A, Porcu E, Gundlach C, Keitel C, Müller MM. Rapid processing of neutral and angry expressions within ongoing facial stimulus streams: Is it all about isolated facial features? PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231982. [PMID: 32330160 PMCID: PMC7182236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Our visual system extracts the emotional meaning of human facial expressions rapidly and automatically. Novel paradigms using fast periodic stimulations have provided insights into the electrophysiological processes underlying emotional content extraction: the regular occurrence of specific identities and/or emotional expressions alone can drive diagnostic brain responses. Consistent with a processing advantage for social cues of threat, we expected angry facial expressions to drive larger responses than neutral expressions. In a series of four EEG experiments, we studied the potential boundary conditions of such an effect: (i) we piloted emotional cue extraction using 9 facial identities and a fast presentation rate of 15 Hz (N = 16); (ii) we reduced the facial identities from 9 to 2, to assess whether (low or high) variability across emotional expressions would modulate brain responses (N = 16); (iii) we slowed the presentation rate from 15 Hz to 6 Hz (N = 31), the optimal presentation rate for facial feature extraction; (iv) we tested whether passive viewing instead of a concurrent task at fixation would play a role (N = 30). We consistently observed neural responses reflecting the rate of regularly presented emotional expressions (5 Hz and 2 Hz at presentation rates of 15 Hz and 6 Hz, respectively). Intriguingly, neutral expressions consistently produced stronger responses than angry expressions, contrary to the predicted processing advantage for threat-related stimuli. Our findings highlight the influence of physical differences across facial identities and emotional expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Schettino
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE), Ubud, Indonesia
- Erasmus Research Services, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Emanuele Porcu
- Institut für Psychologie II, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Christian Keitel
- Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Dricu M, Frühholz S. A neurocognitive model of perceptual decision-making on emotional signals. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:1532-1556. [PMID: 31868310 PMCID: PMC7267943 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans make various kinds of decisions about which emotions they perceive from others. Although it might seem like a split-second phenomenon, deliberating over which emotions we perceive unfolds across several stages of decisional processing. Neurocognitive models of general perception postulate that our brain first extracts sensory information about the world then integrates these data into a percept and lastly interprets it. The aim of the present study was to build an evidence-based neurocognitive model of perceptual decision-making on others' emotions. We conducted a series of meta-analyses of neuroimaging data spanning 30 years on the explicit evaluations of others' emotional expressions. We find that emotion perception is rather an umbrella term for various perception paradigms, each with distinct neural structures that underline task-related cognitive demands. Furthermore, the left amygdala was responsive across all classes of decisional paradigms, regardless of task-related demands. Based on these observations, we propose a neurocognitive model that outlines the information flow in the brain needed for a successful evaluation of and decisions on other individuals' emotions. HIGHLIGHTS: Emotion classification involves heterogeneous perception and decision-making tasks Decision-making processes on emotions rarely covered by existing emotions theories We propose an evidence-based neuro-cognitive model of decision-making on emotions Bilateral brain processes for nonverbal decisions, left brain processes for verbal decisions Left amygdala involved in any kind of decision on emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihai Dricu
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Sascha Frühholz
- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of PsychologyUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ)University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP)University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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44
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Auerbach-Asch CR, Bein O, Deouell LY. Face Selective Neural Activity: Comparisons Between Fixed and Free Viewing. Brain Topogr 2020; 33:336-354. [PMID: 32236786 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-020-00764-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Event Related Potentials (ERPs) are widely used to study category-selective EEG responses to visual stimuli, such as the face-selective N170 component. Typically, this is done by flashing stimuli at the point of static gaze fixation. While allowing for good experimental control, these paradigms ignore the dynamic role of eye-movements in natural vision. Fixation-related potentials (FRPs), obtained using simultaneous EEG and eye-tracking, overcome this limitation. Various studies have used FRPs to study processes such as lexical processing, target detection and attention allocation. The goal of this study was to carefully compare face-sensitive activity time-locked to an abrupt stimulus onset at fixation, with that time-locked to a self-generated fixation on a stimulus. Twelve participants participated in three experimental conditions: Free-viewing (FRPs), Cued-viewing (FRPs) and Control (ERPs). We used a multiple regression approach to disentangle overlapping activity components. Our results show that the N170 face-effect is evident for the first fixation on a stimulus, whether it follows a self-generated saccade or stimulus appearance at fixation point. The N170 face-effect has similar topography across viewing conditions, but there were major differences within each stimulus category. We ascribe these differences to an overlap of the fixation-related lambda response and the N170. We tested the plausibility of this account using dipole simulations. Finally, the N170 exhibits category-specific adaptation in free viewing. This study establishes the comparability of the free-viewing N170 face-effect with the classic event-related effect, while highlighting the importance of accounting for eye-movement related effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel R Auerbach-Asch
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat-Ram, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Oded Bein
- The Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Pl, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Leon Y Deouell
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat-Ram, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
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45
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Prete G, Fabri M, Foschi N, Tommasi L. Voice gender categorization in the connected and disconnected hemispheres. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:385-397. [PMID: 32130082 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1734654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The role of the left and right hemispheres in processing the gender of voices is controversial, some evidence suggesting a bilateral involvement, some others suggesting a right-hemispheric superiority. We investigated this issue in a gender categorization task involving healthy participants and a male split-brain patient: female or male natural voices were presented in one ear during the simultaneous presentation of white noise in the other ear (dichotic listening paradigm). Results revealed faster responses by the healthy participants for stimuli presented in the left than in the right ear, although no asymmetries emerged between the two ears in the accuracy of both the patient and the control group. Healthy participants were also more accurate at categorizing female than male voices, and an opposite-gender bias emerged - at least in females - showing faster responses in categorizing voices of the opposite gender. The results support a bilateral hemispheric involvement in voice gender categorization, without asymmetries in the patient, but with a faster categorization when voices are directly presented to the right hemisphere in the healthy sample. Moreover, when the two hemispheres directly interact with one another, a faster categorization of voices of the opposite gender emerges, and it can be an evolutionary grounded bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Prete
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara , Chieti, Italy
| | - Mara Fabri
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Neuroscience and Cell Biology Section, Polytechnic University of Marche , Ancona, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Foschi
- Regional Epilepsy Center, Neurological Clinic, "Ospedali Riuniti" , Ancona, Italy
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara , Chieti, Italy
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46
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Murphy J, Gray KL, Cook R. Inverted faces benefit from whole-face processing. Cognition 2020; 194:104105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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47
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Li C, Ma X, Zhu C, Cao X. The recovery speed of category sensitive N170 responses to faces and Chinese characters. Brain Res 2019; 1723:146384. [PMID: 31421129 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Neural selectivity of N170 responses is important for understanding face, word, and object processing in the brain. However, the recovery times of neural selective responses remain unclear. In the present study, we used an adaptation paradigm to test the recovery speed of N170 responses to faces and Chinese characters. The findings revealed that recovery of N170 responses elicited by faces occurred between 1400 and 1800 ms after stimulus onset, whereas those elicited by Chinese characters occurred between 600 and 800 ms. These results demonstrate that N170 responses involved in the processing of faces and Chinese characters exhibit category sensitive recovery speeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglin Li
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 321001 Jinhua, China; Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 321001 Jinhua, China; Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cuiyin Zhu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 321001 Jinhua, China
| | - Xiaohua Cao
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 321001 Jinhua, China.
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48
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Kolijn L, Huffmeijer R, Van Den Bulk BG, Vrijhof CI, Van Ijzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Effects of the Video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting and sensitive discipline on mothers' neural responses to child faces: A randomized controlled ERP study including pre- and post-intervention measures. Soc Neurosci 2019; 15:108-122. [PMID: 31500510 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1660709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Parenting interventions have proven to be effective in enhancing positive parenting behavior and child outcomes. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms explaining the efficacy remain largely unknown. We tested effects of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) on mothers' neural processing of child faces. Our primary focus was on the N170 and the secondary focus on the LPP. We expected the intervention to enhance the amplitudes of both ERP components in response to emotional compared to neutral faces. A total of 66 mothers visited the lab for two identical sessions separated by 4.28 months (SD = 0.86) during which a random 33% of the mothers received the VIPP-SD. During both pre- and post-intervention sessions, mothers' electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in response to photographs of children's neutral, happy and angry facial expressions were acquired. In contrast to our expectations, we found smaller (less negative) N170 amplitudes at post-test in the intervention group. There was no intervention effect on the LPP, although overall LPP amplitudes were more positive for neutral and angry compared to happy faces. Our study shows that the N170 is affected by the VIPP-SD, suggesting that the intervention promotes efficient, less effortful face processing.Trial registration: Dutch Trial Register: NTR5312; Date registered: 3 January 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kolijn
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rens Huffmeijer
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bianca G Van Den Bulk
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Claudia I Vrijhof
- Department of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H Van Ijzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, and Amsterdam Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University and VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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49
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Li J, Song Y, Liu J. Functional connectivity pattern in the core face network reflects different mechanisms of holistic face processing measured by the whole-part effect and composite-face effect. Neuroscience 2019; 408:248-258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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EEG correlates of face recognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Clin Neurophysiol 2019; 130:986-996. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2019.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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