Development of Face Perception: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Investigations

描述（由申请人提供）：人类生来就有看脸的倾向，但人脸识别的发展却令人惊讶地持续到十几岁。同样，神经影像学研究发现，腹侧颞叶皮层（VTC）的面部选择性区域在儿童期和青少年时期持续发育，涉及与年龄相关的面部选择性增加。了解面部识别发展的神经基础非常重要，因为面部处理在儿童视觉、社交方面具有重要意义。 和情绪发展，并且是了解涉及非典型面部处理的临床状况的先决条件。然而，我们仍然不清楚面部选择性是如何发展的，或者 VTC 中的神经发展如何导致更好的面部识别。我们建议通过使用尖端的神经影像学和行为方法获取同一受试者的横向和纵向多模态数据，阐明面部识别能力发展背后的功能和结构性大脑机制。在目标 1 中，我们将确定驱动 VTC 面部选择性发展的因素，并检查结构和功能发展之间的关系。因此，我们将获取每个受试者的行为、解剖和功能数据，比较幼儿（5-7岁）、儿童（9-11岁）和成人（23-25岁）的横断面数据，并纵向跟踪这些发展，以确定：（1）近期和累积的经验在塑造面部选择性方面的作用是什么，（2）用中央视觉观看面部是否会促进面部选择性的发展，（3）白质结构的发育是否与发育相关(4) VTC 中面部选择性、偏心偏差和白质结构发展的可靠性、顺序和纵向轨迹是什么。纵向测量将提供前所未有的空间和时间精度，揭示与皮质选择性出现相关的一系列发展。在目标 2 中，我们将确定神经发育如何实现更好的人脸识别。熟练的人脸识别需要对相似的人脸进行精细区分，并在许多可能的外观中识别特定的人脸。然而，这两个关键过程发展背后的神经机制尚不清楚。因此，通过对儿童（7-11岁）、青少年（12-16岁）和成人（24-28岁）的表现和大脑反应进行横断面测量，我们将确定（1）针对面部识别和视图的神经调节的发育变化是否会导致更好的面部识别；（2）VTC中面部专业化的发育增加是否会导致更好的面部识别。我们期望这些研究能够显着增进我们对皮质面部选择性发展和面部识别能力提高的神经机制的了解，并增进我们对长期皮质可塑性神经机制的理解。公共卫生相关性 我们提出的研究符合 NEI 的使命，即增进对视觉系统如何在健康和疾病中发挥作用的了解，以及 NICHD 的使命。我们希望我们提出的研究能够显着促进对面部识别和高水平视力发育背后的神经机制的理解，为未来研究涉及视觉和面部处理改变的发育障碍（例如先天性面容失认症、自闭症和威廉姆斯综合症）提供重要基础。我们的纵向研究将揭示功能性和结构性大脑发育之间的联系及其与年龄相关的面部处理改善的关系，这将为非典型发育的临床诊断的发展奠定重要基础。 公共健康相关性：我们提出的研究符合 NEI 的使命，即增进对视觉系统如何在健康和疾病中发挥作用的了解，以及 NICHD 的使命，即促进与儿童发展和健康相关的研究。我们希望我们提出的研究能够显着促进对面部识别和高水平视力发育背后的神经机制的理解，为未来研究涉及视觉和面部处理改变的发育障碍（例如先天性面容失认症、自闭症和威廉姆斯综合症）提供重要基础。我们的纵向研究将揭示功能性和结构性大脑发育之间的联系及其与年龄相关的面部处理改善的关系，这将为非典型发育的临床诊断的发展奠定重要基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Humans are born with a propensity to look at faces, yet face recognition undergoes a surprisingly prolonged development into the late teens. Likewise, neuroimaging studies discovered prolonged development of face- selective regions in ventral temporal cortex (VTC) during childhood and into the teens involving age-related increases in face selectivity. Understanding the neural substrates of the development of face recognition is important because of the significance of face procesing in children's visual, social and emotional development, and is a prerequisite for understanding clinical conditions involving atypical face processing. However, it remains unknown how face selectivity develops, or how neural developments in VTC lead to better face recognition. We propose to elucidate the functional and structural brain mechanisms that underlie the development of face recognition abilities, using cutting-edge neuroimaging and behavioral methods acquiring multimodal data in the same subjects, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. In Aim 1 we will determine the factors that drive the development of face selectivity in VTC and examine the relationship between structural and functional developments. Thus, we will acquire behavioral, anatomical and functional data in each subject comparing data across young children (5-7 year olds, yo), children (9-11yo), and adults (23-25 yo) cross- sectionally and follow these developments longitudinally to determine: (1) what is the role of recent and cumulative experience in shaping face selectivity, (2) if viewing faces with central vision drives the development of face selectiviy, (3) if development of white matter structures is linked to development of face selectivity in VTC and (4) what is the reliability, sequence and longitudinal trajectory of the development of face selectivity, eccentricity bias and white matter structures in VTC. Longitudinal measurements wil provide unprecedented spatial and temporal precision revealing the casade of developments asociated with the emergence of cortical selectivity. In Aim 2 we will determine how neural developments lead to better face recognition. Proficient face recognition requires fine discrimination among similar faces and identification of specific faces across their many possible appearances. However, the neural mechanisms that underlie the development of these two key processes are unknown. Thus, using cross-sectional measurements of performance and brain responses in children (7-11 yo), adolescents (12-16 yo) and adults (24-28 yo) we will determine (1) if developmental changes in neural tuning to face identity and view lead to beter face discrimination and (2) if developmental increases in specialization to faces in VTC lead to beter face identification. We expect these studies to significantly advance our knowledge of the neural mechanisms that underlie the development of cortical selectivity to faces and improvements in face recognition, as well as progress our understanding of the neural mechanisms of long-term cortical plasticity. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Our proposed research is in-line with the mission of the NEI to advance knowledge of how the visual system functions in health and disease as wel as the mission of the NICHD. We expect our proposed research to significantly advance the understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie the development of face recognition and high-level vision, providing an essential base for future research on developmental disorders involving altered visual and facial processing, such as congenital prosopagnosia, autism and Williams Syndrome. Our longitudinal studies will reveal links between functional and structural brain developments and their relation to age-related improvements in face processing, which will generate an important foundation for development of clinical diagnostics of atypical development. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Our proposed research is in-line with the mission of the NEI to advance knowledge of how the visual system functions in health and disease as wel as the mission of the NICHD to promote research relevant to children's development and health. We expect our proposed research to significantly advance the understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie the development of face recognition and high-level vision, providing an essential base for future research on developmental disorders involving altered visual and facial processing, such as congenital prosopagnosia, autism and Williams Syndrome. Our longitudinal studies will reveal links between functional and structural brain developments and their relation to age-related improvements in face processing, which will generate an important foundation for development of clinical diagnostics of atypical development.