Sato Wataru, Uono Shota, Kochiyama Takanori
Psychological Process Team,Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan.
Division of Disability Sciences, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22507. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06468-x.
Face perception is a fundamental cognitive ability essential for social interactions. The Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT) is widely used to assess both normal and impaired face perception. However, whether BFRT scores could reflect neural activity associated with face perception, particularly in relation to holistic or configural face processing, remains unclear. To address this question, we administered the short form of the BFRT and acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data while participants passively viewed photographs of upright and inverted faces and houses. Regression analyses revealed that BFRT scores positively correlated with fMRI activity in the right fusiform gyrus in response to upright faces versus upright houses. Additionally, BFRT scores were positively associated with right fusiform gyrus activity in response to inverted versus upright faces. These findings suggest that BFRT scores serve as an indicator of right fusiform gyrus activity linked to holistic/configural face perception.
面部感知是社交互动中一项至关重要的基本认知能力。本顿面部识别测试（BFRT）被广泛用于评估正常和受损的面部感知。然而，BFRT分数是否能够反映与面部感知相关的神经活动，特别是在整体或构型面部处理方面，仍不明确。为了解决这个问题，我们实施了BFRT简版测试，并在参与者被动观看正立和倒立的面部及房屋照片时获取了功能磁共振成像（fMRI）数据。回归分析显示，BFRT分数与右侧梭状回在观看正立面部与正立房屋时的fMRI活动呈正相关。此外，BFRT分数与右侧梭状回在观看倒立与正立面部时的活动也呈正相关。这些发现表明，BFRT分数可作为与整体/构型面部感知相关的右侧梭状回活动的一个指标。
