Cortical Face-Selective Responses Emerge Early in Human Infancy
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ENEURO.0117-24.2024.full.pdf
Description
Published version
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1.92 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Kosakowski, Heather L
Cohen, Michael A
Herrera, Lyneé
Nichoson, Isabel
Kanwisher, Nancy
Saxe, Rebecca
Date Issued
July 2024
Journal
eNeuro
Publisher
Society for Neuroscience
Citation
Heather L. Kosakowski, Michael A. Cohen, Lyneé Herrera, Isabel Nichoson, Nancy Kanwisher and Rebecca Saxe
eNeuro 13 June 2024, 11 (7) ENEURO.0117-24.2024
Version
Final published version
Abstract
In human adults, multiple cortical regions respond robustly to faces, including the occipital face area (OFA) and fusiform face area (FFA), implicated in face perception, and the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), implicated in higher-level social functions. When in development, does face selectivity arise in each of these regions? Here, we combined two awake infant functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets to create a sample size twice the size of previous reports (n = 65 infants; 2.6–9.6 months). Infants watched movies of faces, bodies, objects, and scenes, while fMRI data were collected. Despite variable amounts of data from each infant, individual subject whole-brain activation maps revealed responses to faces compared to nonface visual categories in the approximate location of OFA, FFA, STS, and MPFC. To determine the strength and nature of face selectivity in these regions, we used cross-validated functional region of interest analyses. Across this larger sample size, face responses in OFA, FFA, STS, and MPFC were significantly greater than responses to bodies, objects, and scenes. Even the youngest infants (2–5 months) showed significantly face-selective responses in FFA, STS, and MPFC, but not OFA. These results demonstrate that face selectivity is present in multiple cortical regions within months of birth, providing powerful constraints on theories of cortical development.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0117-24.2024
