Transcranial magnetic stimulation disrupts the perception and embodiment of facial expressions.

Full Abstract

Theories of embodied cognition propose that recognizing facial expressions requires visual processing followed by simulation of the somatovisceral responses associated with the perceived expression. To test this proposal, we targeted the right occipital face area (rOFA) and the face region of right somatosensory cortex (rSC) with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) while participants discriminated facial expressions. rTMS selectively impaired discrimination of facial expressions at both sites but had no effect on a matched face identity task. Site specificity within the rSC was demonstrated by targeting rTMS at the face and finger regions while participants performed the expression discrimination task. rTMS targeted at the face region impaired task performance relative to rTMS targeted at the finger region. To establish the temporal course of visual and somatosensory contributions to expression processing, double-pulse TMS was delivered at different times to rOFA and rSC during expression discrimination. Accuracy dropped when pulses were delivered at 60-100 ms at rOFA and at 100-140 and 130-170 ms at rSC. These sequential impairments at rOFA and rSC support embodied accounts of expression recognition as well as hierarchical models of face processing. The results also demonstrate that nonvisual cortical areas contribute during early stages of expression processing.

Author information

Author/s: Pitcher, David (D); Garrido, Lúcia (L); Walsh, Vincent (V); Duchaine, Bradley C (BC);

Affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University College London, London WC1N3AR, United Kingdom. d.pitcher(-atsign-)ucl.ac.uk

Grants: BB/F022875/1 (Agency:Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Sep; vol 28 (issue 36) : pp 8929-33

Dates: Created 2008/09/04; Completed 2008/10/16; Revised 2009/04/08;

PMID: 18768686, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 4/8/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: J Neurosci. 2009 Jan 14;29(2):301-2. (PMID: 19144830)

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