Fast Neural Dynamics of Proactive Cognitive Control in a Task-Switching Analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

One common assumption has been that prefrontal executive control is mostly required for target detection (Posner and Petersen in Ann Rev Neurosci 13:25–42, 1990). Alternatively, cognitive control has also been related to anticipatory updating of task-set (contextual) information, a view that highlights proactive control processes. Frontoparietal cortical networks contribute to both proactive control and reactive target detection, although their fast dynamics are still largely unexplored. To examine this, we analyzed rapid magnetoencephalographic (MEG) source activations elicited by task cues and target cards in a task-cueing analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. A single-task (color sorting) condition with equivalent perceptual and motor demands was used as a control. Our results revealed fast, transient and largely switch-specific MEG activations across frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular regions in anticipation of target cards, including (1) early (100–200 ms) cue-locked MEG signals at visual, temporo-parietal and prefrontal cortices of the right hemisphere (i.e., calcarine sulcus, precuneus, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula and supramarginal gyrus); and (2) later cue-locked MEG signals at the right anterior and posterior insula (200–300 ms) and the left temporo-parietal junction (300–500 ms). In all cases larger MEG signal intensity was observed in switch relative to repeat cueing conditions. Finally, behavioral restart costs and test scores of working memory capacity (forward digit span) correlated with cue-locked MEG activations at key nodes of the frontoparietal network. Together, our findings suggest that proactive cognitive control of task rule updating can be fast and transiently implemented within less than a second and in anticipation of target detection.     

Commonalities and differences in the spatiotemporal neural dynamics associated with automatic attentional shifts induced by gaze and arrows

Gaze and arrows automatically trigger attentional shifts. Neuroimaging studies have identified a commonality in the spatial distribution of the neural activation involved in such attentional shifts. However, it remains unknown whether these activations occur with common temporal profiles. To investigate this issue, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to evaluate neural activation involved in attentional shifts induced by gaze and arrows. MEG source reconstruction analyses revealed that the superior temporal sulcus and the inferior frontal gyrus were commonly activated after 200 ms, in response to directional versus non-directional cues. Regression analyses further revealed that the magnitude of brain activity in these areas and in the bilateral occipital cortex was positively related to the effect of attentional shift on reaction times under both the gaze and the arrow conditions. The results also revealed that some brain regions were activated specifically in response to directional versus non-directional gaze or arrow cues at the 350–400 ms time window. These results suggest that the neural mechanisms underlying attentional shifts induced by gaze and arrows share commonalities in their spatial distributions and temporal profiles, with some spatial differences at later time stages.     

A magnetoencephalographic study of brain activity related to recognition memory in healthy young human subjects

Neural activity associated with recognition memory was investigated using magnetencephalography (MEG) in healthy young subjects. At sensor sites overlying frontal and temporoparietal cortices, magnetic evoked fields (MEFs) revealed a difference between studied and unstudied stimuli, which onset about 400 ms following stimulus onset and lasted about 600 ms. MEG yielded reliable source information revealing the activity of three independent dipoles, located in the right medial temporal lobe (MTL), the right inferior frontal and the left inferior parietal cortices. Our findings suggest that neural activity underlying recognition memory from both superficial and deep brain structures can be monitored by MEG.     

The anti-orienting phenomenon revisited: effects of gaze cues on antisaccade performance

When the eye gaze of a face is congruent with the direction of an upcoming target, saccadic eye movements of the observer towards that target are generated more quickly, in comparison with eye gaze incongruent with the direction of the target. This work examined the conflict in an antisaccade task, when eye gaze points towards the target, but the saccadic eye movement should be triggered in the opposite direction. In a gaze cueing paradigm, a central face provided an attentional gaze cue towards the target or away from the target. Participants (N = 38) generated pro- and antisaccades to peripheral targets that were congruent or incongruent with the previous gaze cue. Paradoxically, facilitatory effects of a gaze cue towards the target were observed for both the pro- and antisaccade tasks. The results are consistent with the idea that eye gaze cues are processed in the task set that is compatible with the saccade programme. Thus, in an antisaccade paradigm, participants may anti-orient with respect to the gaze cue, resulting in faster saccades on trials when the gaze cue is towards the target. The results resemble a previous observation by Fischer and Weber (Exp Brain Res 109:507–512, 1996) using low-level peripheral cues. The current study extends this finding to include central socially communicative cues.     

The Development of Face Recognition; Hippocampal and Frontal Lobe Contributions Determined with MEG

Face recognition skills improve steadily across childhood, yet few studies have investigated the development of the neural sources underlying these processes. We investigated the developmental changes in brain activity related specifically to face recognition, using magnetoencephalography (MEG). We studied 70 children (6?C19 years) and 20 young adults. Photographs of 240 neutral faces were used in two blocks of 1-back recognition tasks; one block contained faces upright and in the other block, faces were presented inverted. MEG activity was recorded on a 151 sensor CTF/MISL system. A structural MRI was acquired for all subjects. We focussed on the repetition effects of the faces, in a 280?C680 ms window, contrasting the repeated faces with the first presentation of the faces. The analyses showed reliable right hippocampal activation across all age groups, and a right inferior frontal activation that emerged for repeated, recognised faces at 10?C11 years of age. The hippocampi are implicated in memory function and we demonstrate that the right hippocampus is specifically involved for face recognition. Further, we determined that this comes on-line by early school age, which is consistent with the known early maturation of the hippocampi. In contrast, we show that the right inferior frontal areas do not come on-line until later in childhood, consistent with the protracted development of the frontal cortices. These data support the hypothesis that different age groups use different strategies and neural structures for face recognition.     

Attentional shifts by gaze direction in voluntary orienting: evidence from a microsaccade study

Shifts in spatial attention can be induced by the gaze direction of another. However, it is unclear whether gaze direction influences the allocation of attention by reflexive or voluntary orienting. The present study was designed to examine which type of attentional orienting is elicited by gaze direction. We conducted two experiments to answer this question. In Experiment 1, we used a modified Posner paradigm with gaze cues and measured microsaccades to index the allocation of attention. We found that microsaccade direction followed cue direction between 200 and 400 ms after gaze cues were presented. This is consistent with the latencies observed in other microsaccade studies in which voluntary orienting is manipulated, suggesting that gaze direction elicits voluntary orienting. However, Experiment 1 did not separate voluntary and reflexive orienting directionally, so in Experiment 2, we used an anticue task in which cue direction (direction to allocate attention) was the opposite of gaze direction (direction of gaze in depicted face). The results in Experiment 2 were consistent with those from Experiment 1. Microsaccade direction followed the cue direction, not gaze direction. Taken together, these results indicate that the shift in spatial attention elicited by gaze direction is voluntary orienting.     

Age-Related Changes in Regional Brain Activation During Phonological Decoding and Printed Word Recognition

Using magnetic source imaging, age-related changes in spatiotemporal brain activation profiles associated with printed word recognition and phonological decoding (pseudoword reading) were examined in 27 adults and 22 children without reading problems. Adults showed a distinct spatiotemporal profile during reading of both types of print consisting of bilateral activation of occipital cortices, followed by strongly left-predominant activation of basal temporal regions, and, finally, left hemisphere temporoparietal (including the angular gyrus) and inferior frontal activation. Children lacked the clear temporal distinction in the engagement of basal and temporoparietal areas and displayed significantly weaker activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus. In addition, the consistent hemispheric asymmetries in the degree of activation of basal temporal regions that were present in the adult readers were not apparent in the children. In contrast, the strong left hemisphere preponderance in the degree of activation of temporoparietal areas was present in children as well as adults, regardless of the type of print they were asked to read. The data suggest that the degree of specialization of cortical regions for reading, as well as the pattern of regional interactions that supports this specialization, may change with age.     

Age-Related Changes in Regional Brain Activation During Phonological Decoding and Printed Word Recognition

Using magnetic source imaging, age-related changes in spatiotemporal brain activation profiles associated with printed word recognition and phonological decoding (pseudoword reading) were examined in 27 adults and 22 children without reading problems. Adults showed a distinct spatiotemporal profile during reading of both types of print consisting of bilateral activation of occipital cortices, followed by strongly left-predominant activation of basal temporal regions, and, finally, left hemisphere temporoparietal (including the angular gyrus) and inferior frontal activation. Children lacked the clear temporal distinction in the engagement of basal and temporoparietal areas and displayed significantly weaker activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus. In addition, the consistent hemispheric asymmetries in the degree of activation of basal temporal regions that were present in the adult readers were not apparent in the children. In contrast, the strong left hemisphere preponderance in the degree of activation of temporoparietal areas was present in children as well as adults, regardless of the type of print they were asked to read. The data suggest that the degree of specialization of cortical regions for reading, as well as the pattern of regional interactions that supports this specialization, may change with age.     

MEG Coherence and DTI Connectivity in mTLE

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive imaging method for localization of focal epileptiform activity in patients with epilepsy. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a noninvasive imaging method for measuring the diffusion properties of the underlying white matter tracts through which epileptiform activity is propagated. This study investigates the relationship between the cerebral functional abnormalities quantified by MEG coherence and structural abnormalities quantified by DTI in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). Resting state MEG data was analyzed using MEG coherence source imaging (MEG-CSI) method to determine the coherence in 54 anatomical sites in 17 adult mTLE patients with surgical resection and Engel class I outcome, and 17 age- and gender- matched controls. DTI tractography identified the fiber tracts passing through these same anatomical sites of the same subjects. Then, DTI nodal degree and laterality index were calculated and compared with the corresponding MEG coherence and laterality index. MEG coherence laterality, after Bonferroni adjustment, showed significant differences for right versus left mTLE in insular cortex and both lateral orbitofrontal and superior temporal gyri (p < 0.017). Likewise, DTI nodal degree laterality, after Bonferroni adjustment, showed significant differences for right versus left mTLE in gyrus rectus, insular cortex, precuneus and superior temporal gyrus (p < 0.017). In insular cortex, MEG coherence laterality correlated with DTI nodal degree laterality (\(R^{2} = 0.46; p = 0.003)\) in the cases of mTLE. None of these anatomical sites showed statistically significant differences in coherence laterality between right and left sides of the controls. Coherence laterality was in agreement with the declared side of epileptogenicity in insular cortex (in 82 % of patients) and both lateral orbitofrontal (88 %) and superior temporal gyri (88 %). Nodal degree laterality was also in agreement with the declared side of epileptogenicity in gyrus rectus (in 88 % of patients), insular cortex (71 %), precuneus (82 %) and superior temporal gyrus (94 %). Combining all significant laterality indices improved the lateralization accuracy to 94 % and 100 % for the coherence and nodal degree laterality indices, respectively. The associated variations in diffusion properties of fiber tracts quantified by DTI and coherence measures quantified by MEG with respect to epileptogenicity possibly reflect the chronic microstructural cerebral changes associated with functional interictal activity. The proposed methodology for using MEG and DTI to investigate diffusion abnormalities related to focal epileptogenicity and propagation may provide a further means of noninvasive lateralization.     

Fast optical imaging of frontal cortex during active and passive oddball tasks

This study used the high spatial and temporal resolution of the event-related optical signal (EROS) to investigate the timing of neuronal activity in frontal cortex during auditory target detection and passive oddball tasks. Activation in right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) peaked approximately 350 ms following rare target tones. This corresponded closely to the latency of the simultaneously recorded electrical P3 component. In addition, we found activation in left lateral MFG peaking at approximately 130 ms following tone onset for conditions that may have required response inhibition. These results correspond with activation patterns observed in similar fMRI studies, but provide temporal tags for the activated locations. These data may help bridge the gap between electrophysiological and hemodynamic measures of target detection and contribute to our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain activity during target processing.     

Looking for faces: Attention modulates early occipitotemporal object processing

Looking for somebody's face in a crowd is one of the most important examples of visual search. For this goal, attention has to be directed to a well-defined perceptual category. When this categorically selective process starts is, however, still unknown. To this end, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded over right human occipitotemporal cortex to investigate the time course of attentional modulation of perceptual processes elicited by faces and by houses. The first face-distinctive MEG response was observed at 160-170 ms (M170). Nevertheless, attention did not start to modulate face processing before 190 ms. The first house-distinctive MEG activity was also found around 160-170 ms. However, house processing was not modulated by attention before 280 ms (90 ms later than face processing). Further analysis revealed that the attentional modulation of face processing is not due to later, for example, back-propagated activation of the M170 generator. Rather, subsequent stages of occipitotemporal object processing were modulated in a category-specific manner and with preferential access to face processing.     

Spatial orienting of attention simultaneously cued by automatic social and nonsocial cues

The appearance of a stimulus in the periphery and the direction of another person’s eye gaze have both been shown to automatically orient attention toward the stimulus and the gazed-at location, respectively. In the present experiment, we examined the effects of viewing both a peripheral stimulus and an eye gaze stimulus simultaneously in order to determine whether one is “more automatic” (i.e., faster, dominates) than the other and whether the two processes interact. Using a spatial cueing paradigm, we measured latency of localization of a target stimulus that was validly or invalidly cued by an uninformative (i.e., nonpredictive) peripheral cue, an uninformative eye gaze cue, or both simultaneously (double cue). We included a short and a long cue-target interval in order to investigate the early and late facilitatory and inhibitory effects of the two processes. Results demonstrated that when the double cues were consistent with each other (indicating the same target location), the effects, both early and late, were the same as when the peripheral cue was presented alone. When the double cues were inconsistent (indicating opposite target locations), the late effect was the same as the peripheral cue, but the early effect was intermediate between the two types of cues. Our results better support an interactive, rather than an additive relationship between social and nonsocial automatic orienting. The double cue conditions that showed similar effects to the peripheral cues suggest that the peripheral cue dominates.     

Superior temporal gyrus thickness correlates with cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis

Decreased cortical thickness that signifies gray matter pathology and its impact on cognitive performance is a research field with growing interest in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and needs to be further elucidated. Using high-field 3.0 T MRI, three-dimensional T1-FSPGR (voxel size 1 × 1 × 1 mm) cortical thickness was measured in 82 regions in the left hemisphere (LH) and right hemisphere (RH) in 20 RRMS patients with low disease activity and in 20 age-matched healthy subjects that in parallel underwent comprehensive cognitive evaluation. The correlation between local cortical atrophy and cognitive performance was examined. We identified seven regions with cortical tissue loss that differed between RRMS and age-matched healthy controls. These regions were mainly located in the frontal and temporal lobes, specifically within the gyrus rectus, inferior frontal sulcus, orbital gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, with preferential left asymmetry. Increased cortical thickness was identified in two visual sensory regions, the LH inferior occipital gyrus, and the RH cuneus, implicating adaptive plasticity. Correlation analysis demonstrated that only the LH superior temporal gyrus thickness was associated with cognitive performance and its thickness correlated with motor skills (r = 0.65, p = 0.003), attention (r = 0.45, p = 0.042), and information processing speed (r = 0.50, p = 0.025). Our findings show that restricted cortical thinning occurs in RRMS patients with mild disease and that LH superior temporal gyrus atrophy is associated with cognitive dysfunction.     

Processing of conflicting cues in an attention-shift paradigm studied with fMRI

We investigated the effects of conflicting cues in visual attention on brain function, based on a modified version of the Posner cue-target paradigm. The classic paradigm utilizes either a peripheral or centrally placed cue that involuntary or voluntary results in a shift of attention to the cued side. The modified paradigm involves presenting both a peripheral and central cue at the same time, but where the two cues convey conflicting information regarding direction of attention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were used to record neuronal activation in localized brain areas and networks when the subjects performed the attention task. We hypothesized that the 'exogenous invalid/endogenous valid' condition would activate the anterior attention system to a larger extent than the 'exogenous valid/endogenous invalid' condition, reflecting a need for top-down information processing in this condition. The results for performance data showed that the peripheral cue took precedence over the centrally placed cue when the two cues were in conflict, since reaction times were significantly longer in the "exogenous invalid/endogenous valid" condition. The fMRI data showed an increase in activation in the visual cortex, the left parietal lobule, and in the left cingulate gyrus in both the exogenous valid/endogenous invalid and exogenous invalid/endogenous valid conditions. For the exogenous invalid/endogenous valid condition, there were, in addition, significant activations also in the inferior and middle frontal gyri, and in the precentral gyrus. We interpret these findings as reflecting that these brain areas particularly involved in top-down modulation of attention that interferes with a bottom-up, exogenous-driven effect.     

动态表情情绪识别相关脑区的fMRI研究

目的:利用事件相关的功能核磁共振成像技术研究健康汉族女性对动态表情的识别情况并探讨其神经基础。方法:利用1.5T功能核磁共振成像系统检测13名女性健康受试者识别悲伤、喜悦及中性动态表情视频时的脑部反应。图像数据经SPM2软件处理和统计分析,获得脑区激活图。结果:与识别十字架相比,识别中性表情激活左额中回、双侧中央前回、右侧杏仁核、左顶下小叶、右中央后回以及丘脑等。与识别中性表情相比,识别喜悦表情激活右额内侧回、右额上回、右额中回、右前扣带回、左胼胝体下回、右枕上回、右枕下回、左枕中回及右颞上回等脑区,而识别悲伤表情激活左额内侧回、右额中回、左颞下回以及左颞上回等脑区。结论:面孔加工及动态表情的识别由脑内一个分布式神经网络所调控,其中额内侧回参与多种情绪的加工,可能是情绪加工的共同通路,而颞上回主要负责面部动态特征的加工。     

Guidance of visual direction by topographical vibrotactile cues on the torso

Vibration on localised areas of skin can be used to signal spatial orientation, multi-directional motion and also to guide arm and hand movements. This study investigated the possibility that vibration at loci on the skin might also be used to cue gaze direction. Eight subjects made eye or (head + eye) gaze saccades in the dark cued by vibration stimulation at discrete loci spaced on a horizontal contour across the chest. Saccade and gaze amplitudes, latencies, and directions were analysed. In the first experiment, performed without training, subjects could only use vibration cues to direct their gaze in cardinal directions and gross quadrature. There was a high variability in the relationship between locus on the trunk and gaze direction in space, both within and between subjects. Saccade latencies ranged from 377 to 433 ms and were related to the loci of vibration; the further from the body midline the quicker the response. Since the association of skin loci with gaze direction did not appear intuitive a sub-group of four subjects were retested after intensive training with feedback until they attained criterion on midline ≡ 0° and 15 cm (to right/left of midline) ≡ 45° gaze shifts right and left. Training gave a moderate improvement in directional specificity of gaze to a particular locus on the skin. Gaze direction was linearly rescaled with respect to skin loci but variability and saccade latencies remained high. The uncertainty in the relationship between vibration locus and gaze direction and the prolonged latencies of responses indicate circuitous neuronal processing. There appears to be no pre-existing stimulus-response compatibility mapping between loci on the skin and gaze direction. Vibrotactile cues on the skin of the trunk only serve a gross indication of visual direction in space.     

Cortical processing of tactile stimuli applied in quick succession across the fingertips: temporal evolution of dipole sources revealed by magnetoencephalography

We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 10 healthy human subjects to study cortical responses to tactile stimuli applied to the fingertips of digits 2–5 of the right hand. Each stimulus lasted 50 ms and was produced by air-driven elastic membranes. Four-hundred stimuli were delivered on each finger in three temporal patterns (conditions). In the “Discrete” condition, stimuli were applied to each finger repetitively with an interstimulus interval (ISI) of 1–2 s. In the “Continuous” condition, stimuli were applied to the fingers sequentially as four-stimulus trains with zero ISI and 1–2 s intervening between trains. Finally, in the “Gap” condition, stimuli were applied as in the Continuous condition but with an ISI of 50 ms. A sensation of tactile motion across fingers (digit 2 → digit 5) was reported by all subjects in the Continuous and Gap conditions. Cortical responses were extracted as single equivalent current dipoles over a period of 1 s following stimulus onset. In all three conditions, initial responses in left primary somatosensory cortex (SI) were observed ~20 to 50 ms after stimulus onset and were followed by additional left SI responses and bilateral responses in the secondary somatosensory cortex (SII). In addition, in the Continuous and Gap conditions, there was an activation of the precentral gyrus, the temporal aspects of which depended on the temporal relation of the administered stimuli, as follows. An ISI of 0 ms led to activation of the precentral gyrus shortly after the second stimulation, whereas an ISI of 50 ms led to activation of the precentral gyrus after the third stimulation. The current findings support results from previous studies on temporal activity patterns in SI and SII, verify the participation of the precentral gyrus during tactile motion perception and, in addition, reveal aspects of integration of sequential sensory stimulations over nonadjacent areas as well as temporal activity patterns in the postcentral and precentral gyri.     

Source Localization of Early Stages of Face Processing

Summary: Recent studies using ERPs in face recognition revealed that face processing starts around 100 ms after stimulus onset, 70 ms earlier than suggested before. While the neural sources of the N170 component have repeatedly been found to be localized in the gyrus fusiformis and the inferior occipital cortex, sources have not yet been investigated for the P100 component during face processing. Therefore, we measured the ERPs elicited by faces and control stimuli in 72 subjects in order to localize the neural sources of both the P100 and the N170 component. We observed significantly higher P100 and N170 amplitudes to faces compared to control stimuli. LORETA source localization revealed significantly higher brain activity in the left and right gyrus fusiformis for the N170 component, with additional regions of increased brain activation in a parieto-temporal-occipital network. For the P100, faces activated the left and right gyrus fusiformis significantly stronger than control stimuli. This study reveals that the first step of face processing (about 100 ms after stimulus presentation) is localized in the gyrus fusiformis. The second step of face processing around 170 ms involves the gyrus fusiformis, with additional activation in a more distributed network, including the occipital cortex.     

Music Therapy Modulates Fronto-Temporal Activity in Rest-EEG in Depressed Clients

Fronto-temporal areas process shared elements of speech and music. Improvisational psychodynamic music therapy (MT) utilizes verbal and musical reflection on emotions and images arising from clinical improvisation. Music listening is shifting frontal alpha asymmetries (FAA) in depression, and increases frontal midline theta (FMT). In a two-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 79 depressed clients (with comorbid anxiety), we compared standard care (SC) versus MT added to SC at intake and after 3 months. We found that MT significantly reduced depression and anxiety symptoms. The purpose of this study is to test whether or not MT has an impact on anterior fronto-temporal resting state alpha and theta oscillations. Correlations between anterior EEG, Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—Anxiety Subscale (HADS-A), power spectral analysis (topography, means, asymmetry) and normative EEG database comparisons were explored. After 3 month of MT, lasting changes in resting EEG were observed, i.e., significant absolute power increases at left fronto-temporal alpha, but most distinct for theta (also at left fronto-central and right temporoparietal leads). MT differed to SC at F7–F8 (z scored FAA, p < .03) and T3–T4 (theta, p < .005) asymmetry scores, pointing towards decreased relative left-sided brain activity after MT; pre/post increased FMT and decreased HADS-A scores (r = .42, p < .05) indicate reduced anxiety after MT. Verbal reflection and improvising on emotions in MT may induce neural reorganization in fronto-temporal areas. Alpha and theta changes in fronto-temporal and temporoparietal areas indicate MT action and treatment effects on cortical activity in depression, suggesting an impact of MT on anxiety reduction.     

Brain responses for the subconscious recognition of faces

We investigated the event-related responses following subthreshold and suprathreshold stimulation with facial and non-facial figures using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and EEG recordings to clarify the physiological nature of subconscious perception. Event-related magnetic fields and potentials were recorded from the right hemisphere in eight healthy subjects. Three types of stimulus, i.e., facial image (Face), letters of the alphabet (Letters) and random patterns of dots (Dots), with different presentation periods, subthreshold (16 ms), intermediate (32 ms) and suprathreshold (48 ms) were visually presented in a random order. A psychological discrimination task using the same stimuli was also employed. Clear MEG and EEG responses were recorded for all the stimuli, but the amplitude of the responses was largest for Face and smallest for Dots even in the subthreshold stimulation. The equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) for Face were located around the fusiform gyrus, although the correlation coefficients for ECDs were low under subthreshold and intermediate conditions. The ECDs for Letters and Dots were not estimated with reliable correlation coefficients. The results from the psychological task correlated with the dominancy of face recognition. Face perception was processed differently in the subthreshold condition as well as suprathreshold condition. The subconscious recognition of face might be processed around the fusiform gyrus.