The fusiform face area is enlarged in Williams syndrome.
The fusiform face area is enlarged in Williams syndrome.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1523/jneurosci.4268-09.2010
复制
发表时间：
2010-05-12
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Reiss AL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Golarai G;Hong S;Haas BW;Galaburda AM;Mills DL;Bellugi U;Grill-Spector K;Reiss AL
威廉姆斯综合征（WS）是一种遗传性疾病，其特征是非典型的大脑结构，认知缺陷和终身迷恋面孔。面部识别是相对幸免于WS，尽管异常方面的面部处理，梭状回，腹侧视觉流的一部分的结构改变。因此，面部识别在WS可能subserved异常的神经基板在腹侧流。为了验证这一假设，我们使用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）并检查了梭状面部区域（FFA），该区域与典型发育个体（TD）的面部识别有关，但其在WS中的作用尚不清楚。我们发现，FFA的大小是大约两倍大WS比TD，（绝对和相对梭状回），尽管显然是正常水平的面部识别性能的本顿人脸识别测试。因此，较大的FFA可能在WS之间的面部识别熟练度中发挥作用。
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition characterized by atypical brain structure, cognitive deficits, and a life-long fascination with faces. Face recognition is relatively spared in WS, despite abnormalities in aspects of face processing, and structural alterations in the fusiform gyrus, part of the ventral visual stream. Thus, face recognition in WS may be subserved by abnormal neural substrates in the ventral stream. To test this hypothesis, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and examined the fusiform face area (FFA), which is implicated in face recognition in typically developed individuals (TD), but its role in WS is not well understood. We found that the FFA size was approximately twice larger among WS than TDs, (both absolutely and relative the fusiform gyrus), despite apparently normal levels of face recognition performance on a Benton face recognition test. Thus, a larger FFA may play a role in face recognition proficiency among WS.