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{{short description|Part of the human brain}}{{one source
{{short description|Part of the human brain}}{{one source
| date = April 2019
| date = April 2019
}}{{Infobox brain|Name=Occipital face area|Image=|System=[[Visual system]]|Function=|Location=[[Occipital lobe]]}}The occipital face area (OFA) is a region of the human [[cerebral cortex]] which is specialised for face perception. The OFA is located on the lateral surface of the [[occipital lobe]] adjacent to the [[Occipital gyri|inferior occipital gyrus]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Pitcher|first=David|last2=Walsh|first2=Vincent|last3=Duchaine|first3=Bradley|date=April 2011|title=The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1|journal=Experimental Brain Research|language=en|volume=209|issue=4|pages=481–493|doi=10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1|issn=0014-4819}}</ref> The OFA comprises a network of brain regions including the [[Fusiform face area|fusiform face area (FFA)]] and posterior [[Superior temporal sulcus|superior temporal sulcus (STS)]] which support facial processing.
}}The '''Occipital Face Area''' (OFA) is a region of the human brain. It is responsible for identifying parts of faces, such as eyes, nose, and mouth.

== Structure ==
Like other regions of cerebral cortex, the OFA is functionally defined by using [[neuroimaging]] techniques to localise changes in neural activity in response to different face stimuli.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rossion|first=Bruno|last2=Hanseeuw|first2=Bernard|last3=Dricot|first3=Laurence|date=2012-07-01|title=Defining face perception areas in the human brain: A large-scale factorial fMRI face localizer analysis|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262612000024|journal=Brain and Cognition|language=en|volume=79|issue=2|pages=138–157|doi=10.1016/j.bandc.2012.01.001|issn=0278-2626}}</ref> Typically, participants will view different kinds of face stimuli which can be contrasted with scrambled images, letter strings or non-face objects to localise the OFA.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Puce|first=Aina|last2=Allison|first2=Truett|last3=Asgari|first3=Maryam|last4=Gore|first4=John C.|last5=McCarthy|first5=Gregory|date=1996-08-15|title=Differential Sensitivity of Human Visual Cortex to Faces, Letterstrings, and Textures: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study|url=https://www.jneurosci.org/content/16/16/5205|journal=Journal of Neuroscience|language=en|volume=16|issue=16|pages=5205–5215|doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-16-05205.1996|issn=0270-6474|pmid=8756449}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gauthier|first=Isabel|last2=Tarr|first2=Michael J.|last3=Moylan|first3=Jill|last4=Skudlarski|first4=Pawel|last5=Gore|first5=John C.|last6=Anderson|first6=Adam W.|date=2000-05-01|title=The Fusiform “Face Area” is Part of a Network that Processes Faces at the Individual Level|url=https://doi.org/10.1162/089892900562165|journal=Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience|volume=12|issue=3|pages=495–504|doi=10.1162/089892900562165|issn=0898-929X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2005-12-24|title=The Neural Basis of the Behavioral Face-Inversion Effect|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982205014107|journal=Current Biology|language=en|volume=15|issue=24|pages=2256–2262|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2005.10.072|issn=0960-9822}}</ref> While the exact location of the OFA varies between individuals and according to the specific paradigm used, it usually corresponds to [[Brodmann area 18|Brodmann areas 18]] or [[Brodmann area 19|19]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal|last=Pitcher|first=David|last2=Walsh|first2=Vincent|last3=Duchaine|first3=Bradley|date=April 2011|title=The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1|journal=Experimental Brain Research|language=en|volume=209|issue=4|pages=481–493|doi=10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1|issn=0014-4819}}</ref>


== Function ==
== Function ==
The OFA is believed to be functionally necessary for some face computations. [[Brain damage|Lesion studies]] using patients with [[prosopagnosia]] show that brain damage overlapping with the OFA is associated with impaired facial recognition.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2006-10-01|title=Behavioral Deficits and Cortical Damage Loci in Cerebral Achromatopsia|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhl065|journal=Cerebral Cortex|volume=16|issue=10|pages=1529–1529|doi=10.1093/cercor/bhl065|issn=1460-2199}}</ref> [[Transcranial magnetic stimulation|TMS]] studies using healthy participants have shown that temporary inactivation of the OFA can produce deficits in various aspects of face perception including face recognition, face identity perception and facial feature processing.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Solomon-Harris|first=Lily M.|last2=Mullin|first2=Caitlin R.|last3=Steeves|first3=Jennifer K. E.|date=2013-12-01|title=TMS to the “occipital face area” affects recognition but not categorization of faces|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262613001255|journal=Brain and Cognition|language=en|volume=83|issue=3|pages=245–251|doi=10.1016/j.bandc.2013.08.007|issn=0278-2626}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ambrus|first=Géza Gergely|last2=Dotzer|first2=Maria|last3=Schweinberger|first3=Stefan R.|last4=Kovács|first4=Gyula|date=2017-07-11|title=The occipital face area is causally involved in the formation of identity-specific face representations|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1467-2|journal=Brain Structure and Function|volume=222|issue=9|pages=4271–4282|doi=10.1007/s00429-017-1467-2|issn=1863-2653}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pitcher|first=D.|last2=Garrido|first2=L.|last3=Walsh|first3=V.|last4=Duchaine|first4=B. C.|date=2008-09-03|title=Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Disrupts the Perception and Embodiment of Facial Expressions|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1450-08.2008|journal=Journal of Neuroscience|volume=28|issue=36|pages=8929–8933|doi=10.1523/jneurosci.1450-08.2008|issn=0270-6474}}</ref>
It is the least understood face-selective region within the brain and is implicated in the network responsible for the ability to recognize faces, the Ventral Occipital Temporal system. The OFA acts as the first stage in a distributed, hierarchical network for face computations of increasing complexity, such as face identification and discrimination of facial expressions - which are performed at higher levels of the cortex.

Compared to lower visual cortical areas such as [[Visual cortex|V1]], the OFA is believed to support face processing by representing higher-order features such as faces or facial features compared with lower-order features such as edges or contours. For example, it has been suggested that the OFA may represent faces using a [[Topographic map (neuroanatomy)|topographic face map]] whereby neighbouring areas of the cortical surface reflect physically neighbouring regions of a face.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2015-11-01|title=Faciotopy—A face-feature map with face-like topology in the human occipital face area|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945215002464|journal=Cortex|language=en|volume=72|pages=156–167|doi=10.1016/j.cortex.2015.06.030|issn=0010-9452|pmc=4643680|pmid=26235800}}</ref> These representations likely emerge as a result of feedback connections between neighbouring cortical areas such as the OFA and FFA which provide fine-grained analysis and a general face-template respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rossion|first=Bruno|date=April 2008|title=Constraining the cortical face network by neuroimaging studies of acquired prosopagnosia|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.10.047|journal=NeuroImage|volume=40|issue=2|pages=423–426|doi=10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.10.047|issn=1053-8119}}</ref> This suggestion is supported by evidence of reciprocal connectivity between the OFA and FFA, among other regions of visual cortex.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frässle|first=Stefan|last2=Paulus|first2=Frieder Michel|last3=Krach|first3=Sören|last4=Schweinberger|first4=Stefan Robert|last5=Stephan|first5=Klaas Enno|last6=Jansen|first6=Andreas|date=January 2016|title=Mechanisms of hemispheric lateralization: Asymmetric interhemispheric recruitment in the face perception network|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.055|journal=NeuroImage|volume=124|pages=977–988|doi=10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.055|issn=1053-8119}}</ref>


⚫
=== Patient P.S. ===
Studies using high [[temporal resolution]] demonstrated that the OFA is able to process face information approximately 100 milliseconds after the onset of the stimulus, making it the first face-selective cortical region to respond to facial stimuli. Neuropsychological studies of patients with acquired [[prosopagnosia]] and [[transcranial magnetic stimulation]] (TMS) studies of healthy participants show that the OFA is functionally necessary for some face computations. They also suggest the existence of connections between the early visual cortex and the [[fusiform face area]] (FFA) that bypass the OFA. However, the OFA remains an essential part of the face perception network and represents face parts prior to further processing of more complex facial features in higher face-selective cortical regions. The OFA is frequently found within the right hemisphere, located on the lateral surface of the [[occipital lobe]] either in or around the [[inferior occipital gyrus]] (IOG). The location of the OFA varies spatially between people. Group peak [[Talairach coordinates]] place the OFA in [[Brodmann area]] 18 or 19.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Pitcher|first=David|last2=Walsh|first2=Vincent|last3=Duchaine|first3=Bradley|date=2011|title=The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network|journal=Experimental Brain Research|volume=209|issue=4|pages=481–493|doi=10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1|issn=1432-1106|pmid=21318346}}</ref>
⚫
Examining case studies of individuals with OFA lesions provides more insight into its function. [[Prosopagnosia|Prosopagnosic]] patients have been essential for this initiative, especially patient P.S., a right handed woman with a lesion extending from the posterior part of the right inferior occipital gyrus into the posterior fusiform gyrus. This lesion left patient P.S. without a right OFA and she exhibited great difficulty with facial recognition in daily life. Additionally, she had trouble with facial gender discrimination and could not match unfamiliar faces seen from different viewing angles. Despite the extensive cortical damage she suffered, patient P.S. exhibited a normal right [[fusiform face area]] when compared to age matched controls using a standard [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|fMRI]] localizer. She was unimpaired with basic-level and within-class object discrimination and recognition tasks. Results like these demonstrate that face information can still be processed in the right FFA despite the absence of the right OFA, thus suggesting the presence of alternate cortical routes between the early visual cortex and [[fusiform gyrus]].<ref name=":02" />


== Research ==
== See also ==


* [[Face perception]]
⚫
=== Patient P.S. ===
* [[Visual object recognition (animal test)|Outline of object recognition]]
⚫
Examining case studies of individuals with OFA lesions provides more insight into its function. [[Prosopagnosia|Prosopagnosic]] patients have been essential for this initiative, especially patient P.S., a right handed woman with a lesion extending from the posterior part of the right inferior occipital gyrus into the posterior fusiform gyrus. This lesion left patient P.S. without a right OFA and she exhibited great difficulty with facial recognition in daily life. Additionally, she had trouble with facial gender discrimination and could not match unfamiliar faces seen from different viewing angles. Despite the extensive cortical damage she suffered, patient P.S. exhibited a normal right [[fusiform face area]] when compared to age matched controls using a standard [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|fMRI]] localizer. She was unimpaired with basic-level and within-class object discrimination and recognition tasks. Results like these demonstrate that face information can still be processed in the right FFA despite the absence of the right OFA, thus suggesting the presence of alternate cortical routes between the early visual cortex and [[fusiform gyrus]]. <ref name=":0" />


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 16:12, 17 January 2021

Occipital face area
Details
SystemVisual system
LocationOccipital lobe
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The occipital face area (OFA) is a region of the human cerebral cortex which is specialised for face perception. The OFA is located on the lateral surface of the occipital lobe adjacent to the inferior occipital gyrus.[1] The OFA comprises a network of brain regions including the fusiform face area (FFA) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) which support facial processing.

Structure

Like other regions of cerebral cortex, the OFA is functionally defined by using neuroimaging techniques to localise changes in neural activity in response to different face stimuli.[2] Typically, participants will view different kinds of face stimuli which can be contrasted with scrambled images, letter strings or non-face objects to localise the OFA.[3][4][5] While the exact location of the OFA varies between individuals and according to the specific paradigm used, it usually corresponds to Brodmann areas 18 or 19.[6]

Function

The OFA is believed to be functionally necessary for some face computations. Lesion studies using patients with prosopagnosia show that brain damage overlapping with the OFA is associated with impaired facial recognition.[7] TMS studies using healthy participants have shown that temporary inactivation of the OFA can produce deficits in various aspects of face perception including face recognition, face identity perception and facial feature processing.[8][9][10]

Compared to lower visual cortical areas such as V1, the OFA is believed to support face processing by representing higher-order features such as faces or facial features compared with lower-order features such as edges or contours. For example, it has been suggested that the OFA may represent faces using a topographic face map whereby neighbouring areas of the cortical surface reflect physically neighbouring regions of a face.[11] These representations likely emerge as a result of feedback connections between neighbouring cortical areas such as the OFA and FFA which provide fine-grained analysis and a general face-template respectively.[12] This suggestion is supported by evidence of reciprocal connectivity between the OFA and FFA, among other regions of visual cortex.[13]

Patient P.S.

Examining case studies of individuals with OFA lesions provides more insight into its function. Prosopagnosic patients have been essential for this initiative, especially patient P.S., a right handed woman with a lesion extending from the posterior part of the right inferior occipital gyrus into the posterior fusiform gyrus. This lesion left patient P.S. without a right OFA and she exhibited great difficulty with facial recognition in daily life. Additionally, she had trouble with facial gender discrimination and could not match unfamiliar faces seen from different viewing angles. Despite the extensive cortical damage she suffered, patient P.S. exhibited a normal right fusiform face area when compared to age matched controls using a standard fMRI localizer. She was unimpaired with basic-level and within-class object discrimination and recognition tasks. Results like these demonstrate that face information can still be processed in the right FFA despite the absence of the right OFA, thus suggesting the presence of alternate cortical routes between the early visual cortex and fusiform gyrus.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Pitcher, David; Walsh, Vincent; Duchaine, Bradley (April 2011). "The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network". Experimental Brain Research. 209 (4): 481–493. doi:10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1. ISSN 0014-4819.
  2. ^ Rossion, Bruno; Hanseeuw, Bernard; Dricot, Laurence (2012-07-01). "Defining face perception areas in the human brain: A large-scale factorial fMRI face localizer analysis". Brain and Cognition. 79 (2): 138–157. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2012.01.001. ISSN 0278-2626.
  3. ^ Puce, Aina; Allison, Truett; Asgari, Maryam; Gore, John C.; McCarthy, Gregory (1996-08-15). "Differential Sensitivity of Human Visual Cortex to Faces, Letterstrings, and Textures: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study". Journal of Neuroscience. 16 (16): 5205–5215. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-16-05205.1996. ISSN 0270-6474. PMID 8756449.
  4. ^ Gauthier, Isabel; Tarr, Michael J.; Moylan, Jill; Skudlarski, Pawel; Gore, John C.; Anderson, Adam W. (2000-05-01). "The Fusiform "Face Area" is Part of a Network that Processes Faces at the Individual Level". Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 12 (3): 495–504. doi:10.1162/089892900562165. ISSN 0898-929X.
  5. ^ "The Neural Basis of the Behavioral Face-Inversion Effect". Current Biology. 15 (24): 2256–2262. 2005-12-24. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2005.10.072. ISSN 0960-9822.
  6. ^ Pitcher, David; Walsh, Vincent; Duchaine, Bradley (April 2011). "The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network". Experimental Brain Research. 209 (4): 481–493. doi:10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1. ISSN 0014-4819.
  7. ^ "Behavioral Deficits and Cortical Damage Loci in Cerebral Achromatopsia". Cerebral Cortex. 16 (10): 1529–1529. 2006-10-01. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhl065. ISSN 1460-2199.
  8. ^ Solomon-Harris, Lily M.; Mullin, Caitlin R.; Steeves, Jennifer K. E. (2013-12-01). "TMS to the "occipital face area" affects recognition but not categorization of faces". Brain and Cognition. 83 (3): 245–251. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2013.08.007. ISSN 0278-2626.
  9. ^ Ambrus, Géza Gergely; Dotzer, Maria; Schweinberger, Stefan R.; Kovács, Gyula (2017-07-11). "The occipital face area is causally involved in the formation of identity-specific face representations". Brain Structure and Function. 222 (9): 4271–4282. doi:10.1007/s00429-017-1467-2. ISSN 1863-2653.
  10. ^ Pitcher, D.; Garrido, L.; Walsh, V.; Duchaine, B. C. (2008-09-03). "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Disrupts the Perception and Embodiment of Facial Expressions". Journal of Neuroscience. 28 (36): 8929–8933. doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1450-08.2008. ISSN 0270-6474.
  11. ^ "Faciotopy—A face-feature map with face-like topology in the human occipital face area". Cortex. 72: 156–167. 2015-11-01. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2015.06.030. ISSN 0010-9452. PMC 4643680. PMID 26235800.
  12. ^ Rossion, Bruno (April 2008). "Constraining the cortical face network by neuroimaging studies of acquired prosopagnosia". NeuroImage. 40 (2): 423–426. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.10.047. ISSN 1053-8119.
  13. ^ Frässle, Stefan; Paulus, Frieder Michel; Krach, Sören; Schweinberger, Stefan Robert; Stephan, Klaas Enno; Jansen, Andreas (January 2016). "Mechanisms of hemispheric lateralization: Asymmetric interhemispheric recruitment in the face perception network". NeuroImage. 124: 977–988. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.055. ISSN 1053-8119.
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