Category-sensitivity in the N170 range: A question of topography and inversion, not one of amplitude
Category-sensitivity in the N170 range: A question of topography and inversion, not one of amplitude
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DOI：
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.03.039
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发表时间：
2011-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Thierry, Guillaume
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Boehm, Stephan G.;Dering, Benjamin;Thierry, Guillaume
事件相关电位研究已确定 N170 是人脸处理的关键神经生理学标记。这种功能关联依赖于对面部的 N170 振幅比所有其他视觉对象类别的项目更大的观察。然而，N170 振幅受到视点、大小和对称性等刺激变化的调节，并且比较类似大小和对称的全正面和其他物体的研究未能发现振幅差异。在这里，我们测试了倒置效应（在倒置的脸部中看到的 N170 振幅增加）是否在汽车的正面全视图中也观察到了类似的效果。参与者区分脸部和汽车的图片，这些图片是直立的还是倒立的，或者是正面视图，或者是大小、方向和视角不同的。对于直立刺激，N170 在某些电极位置上对面部的刺激比汽车更强，但在其他电极位置上的幅度相当，如地形差异所示。 N170针对倒立人脸和汽车的延迟，针对人脸的延迟比汽车更强。反演增加了面部的 N170 幅度，而全前视汽车的调制不显着或 N170 幅度减小。这些结果进一步限制了 N170 和视觉对象分类之间广泛认可的关联原则。因此，N170 范围内的潜在面敏感性可能依赖于地形差异和反演效应，而不是幅度差异。 (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. 保留所有权利。
Event-related potential studies have identified the N170 as the key neurophysiological marker of human face processing. This functional association relies on the observation of a larger N170 amplitude to faces than items from all other visual object categories. However, N170 amplitude is modulated by stimulus variations like viewpoint, size and symmetry, and studies comparing similarly sized and symmetric full-front faces and other objects have failed to find amplitude differences. Here we tested whether the effect of inversion - an increase in N170 amplitude seen for faces presented upside down - is similarly observed for full-front views of cars. Participants discriminated pictures of faces and cars, which were presented upright and inverted, and either in full-front view orvarying in size, orientation and viewpoint. For upright stimuli, the N170 was stronger for faces than cars at some electrode sites, but of comparable amplitude at others, as shown by topographical differences. The N170 for inverted faces and cars was delayed, with a stronger delay for faces than cars. Inversion increased N170 amplitude for faces, while modulations for full-front view cars were non-significant or N170 amplitude was reduced. These results further limit the widely acknowledged principle of an association between N170 and visual object categorization. Potential face-sensitivity in the N170 range may therefore rely on topographic differences and effects of inversion, rather than amplitude differences. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.