fMRI evidence for the neural representation of faces

doi:10.1038/nn1538

Paper

fMRI evidence for the neural representation of faces

Published Sep 1, 2005 · Gunter Loffler, G. Yourganov, F. Wilkinson

Nature Neuroscience

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358

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Abstract

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) studies on humans have shown a cortical area, the fusiform face area, that is specialized for face processing. An important question is how faces are represented within this area. This study provides direct evidence for a representation in which individual faces are encoded by their direction (facial identity) and distance (distinctiveness) from a prototypical (mean) face. When facial geometry (head shape, hair line, internal feature size and placement) was varied, the fMRI signal increased with increasing distance from the mean face. Furthermore, adaptation of the fMRI signal showed that the same neural population responds to faces falling along single identity axes within this space.

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Study Snapshot

Key takeawayThe fusiform face area in the brain encodes individual faces based on their direction (facial identity) and distance (distinctiveness) from a prototypical face, with the same neural population responding to faces along single identity axes.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

fMRI evidence for the neural representation of faces

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