Activation of the right fronto-temporal cortex during maternal facial recognition in young infants
Activation of the right fronto-temporal cortex during maternal facial recognition in young infants
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.00886.x
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发表时间：
2008-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Bartocci, Marco
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Carlsson, Jakob;Lagercrantz, Hugo;Bartocci, Marco
背景/目的：在生命的最初几天，婴儿已经可以认出他们的母亲。这种能力建立在几种感觉机制的基础上，并在出生后的第一年得到增强，在6到9个月之间是大脑皮层回路发育的最关键阶段。参与这一过程的潜在皮层结构仍然未知。在这里，我们报告了健康的6到9个月大的婴儿的前额皮质是如何对他们母亲的脸和一个不认识的女性的脸做出反应的。方法：采用近红外光谱法（NIRS）测定右侧额颞区和枕区接触母亲和陌生面孔时氧合血红蛋白（HbO(2)）和脱氧血红蛋白（hbb）的浓度。结果：婴儿在看到母亲的面部图像后，右侧额颞叶皮层表现出明显且显著更高的与激活相关的血流动力学反应[HbO(2)] (0.75 μ mol/L, p < 0.001)，相比之下，看到未知的面部图像（0.25 μ mol/L, p < 0.001）。结论：在6 ~ 9个月大的儿童中检测到事件相关的血流动力学变化，表明皮层激活对人脸的反应。在这个年龄，右侧额颞皮层似乎参与了人脸识别过程。
Background/aim: Within the first days of life infants can already recognize their mother. This ability is based on several sensory mechanisms and increases during the first year of life, having its most crucial phase between 6 and 9 months when cortical circuits develop. The underlying cortical structures that are involved in this process are still unknown. Herein we report how the prefrontal cortices of healthy 6- to 9-month-old infants react to the sight of their mother's faces compared to that of an unknown female face.Methods: Concentrations of oxygenated haemoglobin [HbO(2)] and deoxygenated haemoglobin [HHb] were measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in both fronto-temporal and occipital areas on the right side during the exposure to maternal and unfamiliar faces.Results: The infants exhibited a distinct and significantly higher activation-related haemodynamic response in the right fronto-temporal cortex following exposure to the image of their mother's face, [HbO(2)] (0.75 mu mol/L, p < 0.001), as compared to that of an unknown face (0.25 mu mol/L, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Event-related haemodynamic changes, suggesting cortical activation, in response to the sight of human faces were detected in 6- to 9-month old children. The right fronto-temporal cortex appears to be involved in face recognition processes at this age.