Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
J Neurophysiol. 2012 Dec;108(11):3087-95. doi: 10.1152/jn.01171.2011. Epub 2012 Sep 12.
Neuroimaging studies have revealed a number of regions in the human brain that respond to faces. However, the way these regions interact is a matter of current debate. The aim of this study was to use functional MRI to define face-selective regions in the human brain and then determine how these regions interact in a large population of subjects (n = 72). We found consistent face selectivity in the core face regions of the occipital and temporal lobes: the fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA), and superior temporal sulcus (STS). Face selectivity extended into the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), precuneus (PCu), superior colliculus (SC), amygdala (AMG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). We found evidence for significant functional connectivity between the core face-selective regions, particularly between the OFA and FFA. However, we found that the covariation in activity between corresponding face regions in different hemispheres (e.g., right and left FFA) was higher than between different face regions in the same hemisphere (e.g., right OFA and right FFA). Although functional connectivity was evident between regions in the core and extended network, there were significant differences in the magnitude of the connectivity between regions. Activity in the OFA and FFA were most correlated with the IPS, PCu, and SC. In contrast, activity in the STS was most correlated with the AMG and IFG. Correlations between the extended regions suggest strong functional connectivity between the IPS, PCu, and SC. In contrast, the IFG was only correlated with the AMG. This study reveals that interhemispheric as well as intrahemispheric connections play an important role in face perception.
神经影像学研究揭示了人类大脑中许多对人脸有反应的区域。然而，这些区域如何相互作用是当前争论的焦点。本研究旨在使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）定义人类大脑中的面孔选择性区域，然后确定这些区域在大量被试者（n=72）中的相互作用方式。我们在枕叶和颞叶的核心面孔区域（梭状回面孔区（FFA）、枕叶面孔区（OFA）和颞上沟（STS））发现了一致的面孔选择性。面孔选择性延伸到顶内沟（IPS）、楔前叶（PCu）、上丘（SC）、杏仁核（AMG）和下额回（IFG）。我们发现核心面孔选择性区域之间存在显著的功能连接，特别是在 OFA 和 FFA 之间。然而，我们发现，不同半球（例如，右和左 FFA）相应面孔区域之间的活动变化比同一半球（例如，右 OFA 和右 FFA）的面孔区域之间的变化更大。虽然核心和扩展网络中的区域之间存在明显的功能连接，但区域之间的连接强度存在显著差异。OFA 和 FFA 的活动与 IPS、PCu 和 SC 最相关。相比之下，STS 的活动与 AMG 和 IFG 最相关。扩展区域之间的相关性表明 IPS、PCu 和 SC 之间存在很强的功能连接。相比之下，IFG 仅与 AMG 相关。本研究表明，半球间和半球内的连接在面孔感知中都起着重要作用。
