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Cited by 517Face Recognition and PerceptionVisual perception and processing mechanismsReading and Literacy Development

Human extrastriate visual cortex and the perception of faces words numbers and colors

Allison, Truett, McCarthy, Gregory, Nobre, Anna, Puce, Aina, Belger, Aysenil·1994·Cerebral Cortex
DOI 10.1093/cercor/4.5.544
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Abstract

Electrophysiological correlates of the processing of visual information were studied in epileptic patients with electrodes chronically implanted on the surface of striate and extrastriate cortex. In separate experiments patients viewed faces, letter strings (words and non-words), numbers, and control stimuli. A negative potential, N200, was evoked by faces, letter strings, and numbers, but not by the control stimuli. N200 was recorded bilaterally from discrete regions of the fusiform and inferior temporal gyri. These category-specific face, letter-string, and number "modules" vary in location. In most cases there was no overlap in the location of face and letter-string modules, suggesting a mosaic of functionally discrete regions. In some cases letter-string and number N200s were recorded from the same location, suggesting that these modules may be less spatially and functionally discrete. Face N200-like potentials can be recorded from temporal scalp, allowing the possibility of studying early face processing in normal subjects. Longer-latency face-specific potentials were recorded from the inferior surface of the anterior temporal lobe. Potentials evoked by colored checkerboards were recorded from a region of the fusiform gyrus posterior to the fusiform region from which category-specific N200s were recorded. These results suggest that there are several processing streams in inferior extrastriate cortex. In addition to object recognition systems previously proposed for faces and words, our preliminary results suggest a separate system dealing with numbers. Postulated systems dealing with larger manipulable objects and animals have not been detected.

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  • Intracranial recording suggests that there may be specialized subregions for letters vs. digits in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex.

    “Indeed, intracranial recording suggests that there may be specialized subregions for letters vs. digits in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (Allison et al., 1994).”

    From Specialization within the ventral stream: the case for the visual word form area (2004) · cites this paper as Allison et al., 1994

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Authors
Allison, T., McCarthy, G., Nobre, A., Puce, A., & Belger, A.
Affiliations
United States Department of Veterans Affairs (US)
ORCID
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
1994
Volume
4
Issue
5
Pages
544-554
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
DOI
10.1093/cercor/4.5.544
OpenAlex
W2166183403
Cited by
517
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 23
FWCI
7.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH-05 286, R01MH005286)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
Keywords
extrastriate cortex, face perception, word recognition, number processing, color perception, N2 component, fusiform gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, anterior temporal lobe, object recognition, visual processing streams, epilepsy patients, chronically implanted electrodes
MeSH terms
Color Perception, Face, Humans, Reading, Visual Cortex, Visual Perception

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