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Inhibition of the occipital face area modulates the electrophysiological signals of face familiarity: A combined cTBS-EEG study
- Source :
- Cortex. 141:156-167
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2021.
-
Abstract
- The occipital face area (OFA) is hierarchically one of the first stages of the face processing network. It has originally been thought to be involved in early, structural processing steps, but currently more and more studies challenge this view and propose that it also takes part in higher level face processing, such as identification and recognition. Here we tested whether the OFA is involved in the initial steps of recognition memory and plays a causal role in the differential processing of familiar and unfamiliar faces. We used an offline, inhibitory continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) protocol over the right OFA and the vertex as control site. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recording of event-related potentials (ERPs), elicited by visually presented familiar (famous) and unfamiliar faces was performed before and after stimulation. We observed a difference in ERPs for famous and unfamiliar faces in a time-window corresponding to the N250 component. Importantly, this difference was significantly increased by cTBS of the right OFA, suggesting its causal role in the differential processing of familiar and unfamiliar faces. The enhancement occurred focally, at electrodes close to the right hemispheric cTBS site, as well as over similar occipito-temporal sites of the contralateral hemisphere. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing the causal role of the rOFA in the differential processing of familiar and unfamiliar faces, using combined cTBS and EEG recording methods. These results are discussed with respect to the nature of familiar face representations, supported by an extensive, bilateral network.
- Subjects :
- Cognitive Neuroscience
CTBS
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Electroencephalography
behavioral disciplines and activities
050105 experimental psychology
Eeg recording
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
medicine
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Evoked Potentials
EEG, ERP, face familiarity, theta-burst stimulation, occipital face area
Recognition memory
Cerebral Cortex
medicine.diagnostic_test
05 social sciences
Contralateral hemisphere
Recognition, Psychology
Electrophysiology
Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Face (geometry)
Psychology
Facial Recognition
Neuroscience
Photic Stimulation
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00109452
- Volume :
- 141
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Cortex
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fe8a7f64c53c36da8e557996e03d39a2
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2021.03.034