Project Details
Layman's description
Despite the fact that highly disabling disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, are typically associated with abnormalities in the temporal lobes, the functional organization of this region is not well understood. This project aims to develop novel analysis methods to improve our understanding, using the expertise available at York. This analysis will be based on an existing database of the brains of over 150 normal participants from our exisiting Wellcome Trust grant and will provide a normative range to compare with individuals with autism or schizophrenia.
Key findings
SUMMARY: Movements of the face play an important role in social communication. Although distinct regions of the brain are thought to be involved in processing changeable aspects of faces, it is not clear whether there are distinct neural representations for different types of facial movement. In this study, we used fMRI to investigate the neural representations underlying changes caused by rigid (viewpoint) and non-rigid (expression) movements of the face. Participants viewed sequences of faces that varied in either facial expression or viewpoint. Each sequence of images could be from the same identity or could contain different identities. Using MVPA, we found distinct patterns of response for facial expression and viewpoint within face-selective regions. Larger responses to changes in expression were evident in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), but larger responses to changes in viewpoint were found in the intra-parietal sulcus (IPS). These patterns of response to expression and viewpoint were largely invariant to changes in facial identity and were consistent across participants. These results reveal distinct, topographic patterns of response for rigid and non-rigid movements in face-selective regions of the human brain. This data will provide a normative range with which to compare with individuals with disabling disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
COLLABORATIONS: The project has led to a collaboration with Dr Rob Jenkins in the Department of Psychology. Dr Jenkins is an expert in the image processing of faces and will provide input on how variance in image properties may contribute to the neural patterns of response that observe.
STAFF: Tessa Flack, who was the RA on this project, has now secured a funded, full-time PhD position with PI and CI in the Department of Psychology.
TRANSLATION
NA
ARTICLES SUBMITTED
DISTINCT REPRESENTATIONS FOR RIGID AND NON-RIGID FACIAL MOVEMENTS IN FACE-SELECTIVE REGIONS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN (2014) Tessa R. Flack, David M. Watson, Richard J. Harris, Mark Hymers, Andre D. Gouws, Andrew W. Young & Timothy J. Andrews (submitted to the Journal of Neuroscience and presented at the Vision Sciences Society meeting 2014)
COLLABORATIONS: The project has led to a collaboration with Dr Rob Jenkins in the Department of Psychology. Dr Jenkins is an expert in the image processing of faces and will provide input on how variance in image properties may contribute to the neural patterns of response that observe.
STAFF: Tessa Flack, who was the RA on this project, has now secured a funded, full-time PhD position with PI and CI in the Department of Psychology.
TRANSLATION
NA
ARTICLES SUBMITTED
DISTINCT REPRESENTATIONS FOR RIGID AND NON-RIGID FACIAL MOVEMENTS IN FACE-SELECTIVE REGIONS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN (2014) Tessa R. Flack, David M. Watson, Richard J. Harris, Mark Hymers, Andre D. Gouws, Andrew W. Young & Timothy J. Andrews (submitted to the Journal of Neuroscience and presented at the Vision Sciences Society meeting 2014)
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/03/12 → 30/09/12 |