Cited by 4,891Face Recognition and PerceptionFace recognition and analysisEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

The distributed human neural system for face perception

Haxby, James V., Hoffman, Elizabeth A., Gobbini, M.Ida·2000·Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Abstract

Face perception, perhaps the most highly developed visual skill in humans, is mediated by a distributed neural system in humans that is comprised of multiple, bilateral regions. We propose a model for the organization of this system that emphasizes a distinction between the representation of invariant and changeable aspects of faces. The representation of invariant aspects of faces underlies the recognition of individuals, whereas the representation of changeable aspects of faces, such as eye gaze, expression, and lip movement, underlies the perception of information that facilitates social communication. The model is also hierarchical insofar as it is divided into a core system and an extended system. The core system is comprised of occipitotemporal regions in extrastriate visual cortex that mediate the visual analysis of faces. In the core system, the representation of invariant aspects is mediated more by the face-responsive region in the fusiform gyrus, whereas the representation of changeable aspects is mediated more by the face-responsive region in the superior temporal sulcus. The extended system is comprised of regions from neural systems for other cognitive functions that can be recruited to act in concert with the regions in the core system to extract meaning from faces.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01482-0

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  • The body odor signaling sexual availability leads to greater responsivity in brain networks linked to the core and extended system involving face processing and the emotion- and reward-related regions responsible for esthetic judgments.

    “Thus, the body odor signaling sexual availability was found to lead to greater responsivity in the brain networks linked to the core system and the extended system involving face processing (the fusiform gyrus, the temporal pole, the insula and the amygdala) ( Hahn and Perrett, 2014 ;Haxby et al., 2000 ) and the emotion-and reward-related regions responsible for esthetic judgments (the orbitofront”

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Authors
Haxby, J. V., Hoffman, E. A., & Gobbini, M. I.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Haxby, James V.
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2000-06
Volume
4
Issue
6
Pages
223-233
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2101790396
Cited by
4,891
References
100
Citations by year
2026: 134 · 2025: 189 · 2024: 170 · 2023: 192 · 2022: 178 · 2021: 243 · 2020: 249 · 2019: 224 · 2018: 250 · 2017: 245 · 2016: 265 · 2015: 246 · 2014: 243 · 2013: 271 · 2012: 257
FWCI
5.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
  • Iris (University of Trento) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Face recognition and analysis
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
face perception, face recognition (cognition), facial expressions, gaze, lip movement, fusiform gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, extrastriate cortex, social communication

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