Single neuron responses underlying face recognition in the human midfusiform face-selective cortex

Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (), Marta Boscaglia, Jacques Jonas, Hernan G. Rey, Xiaoqian Yan, Louis Maillard, Sophie Colnat-Coulbois, Laurent Koessler and Bruno Rossion ()
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Rodrigo Quian Quiroga: Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM)
Marta Boscaglia: University of Leicester
Jacques Jonas: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN
Hernan G. Rey: University of Leicester
Xiaoqian Yan: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN
Louis Maillard: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN
Sophie Colnat-Coulbois: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN
Laurent Koessler: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN
Bruno Rossion: Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Faces are critical for social interactions and their recognition constitutes one of the most important and challenging functions of the human brain. While neurons responding selectively to faces have been recorded for decades in the monkey brain, face-selective neural activations have been reported with neuroimaging primarily in the human midfusiform gyrus. Yet, the cellular mechanisms producing selective responses to faces in this hominoid neuroanatomical structure remain unknown. Here we report single neuron recordings performed in 5 human subjects (1 male, 4 females) implanted with intracerebral microelectrodes in the face-selective midfusiform gyrus, while they viewed pictures of familiar and unknown faces and places. We observed similar responses to faces and places at the single cell level, but a significantly higher number of neurons responding to faces, thus offering a mechanistic account for the face-selective activations observed in this region. Although individual neurons did not respond preferentially to familiar faces, a population level analysis could consistently determine whether or not the faces (but not the places) were familiar, only about 50 ms after the initial recognition of the stimuli as faces. These results provide insights into the neural mechanisms of face processing in the human brain.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41323-5

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