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Within the neural face-processing network, the right occipital face area (rOFA) plays a prominent role, and it has been suggested that it receives both feed-forward and re-entrant feedback from other face sensitive areas. Its functional role is less well understood and whether the rOFA is involved in the initial analysis of a face stimulus or in the detailed integration of different face properties remains an open question. The present study investigated the functional role of the rOFA with regard to different face properties (identity, expression, and gaze) using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Experiment 1 showed that the rOFA integrates information across different face properties: performance for the combined processing of identity and expression decreased after TMS to the rOFA, while no impairment was seen in gaze processing. In Experiment 2 we examined the temporal dynamics of this effect. We pinpointed the impaired integrative computation to 170 ms post stimulus presentation. Together the results suggest that TMS to the rOFA affects the integrative processing of facial identity and expression at a mid-latency processing stage.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/scan/nsq015

Type

Journal article

Journal

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci

Publication Date

01/2011

Volume

6

Pages

58 - 65

Keywords

Adolescent, Analysis of Variance, Brain Mapping, Child, Face, Facial Expression, Functional Laterality, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Occipital Lobe, Oxygen, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Photic Stimulation, Reaction Time, Time Factors, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Young Adult