%0 Journal Article %D 2009 %T Face Processing in the Chimpanzee Brain %A Parr, Lisa A. %A Hecht, Erin %A Barks, Sarah K. %A Preuss, Todd M. %A Votaw, John R. %K SYSNEURO %X

SummaryHuman face recognition involves highly specialized cognitive and neural processes that enable the recognition of specific individuals [1–5]. Although comparative studies suggest that similar cognitive processes underlie face recognition in chimpanzees and humans ([6–8] and Supplemental Data), it remains unknown whether chimpanzees also show face-selective activity in ventral temporal cortex. This study is the first to examine regional cerebral glucose metabolism with 18F-flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in chimpanzees after they performed computerized tasks matching conspecifics' faces and nonface objects (Supplemental Data). A whole-brain analysis comparing these two tasks in five chimpanzees revealed significant face-selective activity in regions known to comprise the distributed cortical face-processing network in humans, including superior temporal sulcus and orbitofrontal cortex [9–11]. In order to identify regions that were exclusively active during one task, but not the other, we subtracted a resting-state condition from each task and identified the activity exclusive to each. This revealed numerous distinct patches of face-selective activity in the fusiform gyrus that were interspersed within a large expanse of object-selective cortex. This pattern suggests similar object form topography in the ventral temporal cortex of chimpanzees and humans, in which faces may represent a special class of visual stimulus.

%V 19 %P 50 - 53 %8 01/2009 %@ 0960-9822 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982208015662 %N 1 %! Current Biology