TY - JOUR
T1 - Facial-Expression and Gaze-Selective Responses in the Monkey Amygdala
AU - Hoffman, Kari L.
AU - Gothard, Katalin M.
AU - Schmid, Michael C C.
AU - Logothetis, Nikos K.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Andrew Fuglevand for comments on the manuscript, Josef Pfeuffer, Mark Augath, and Thomas Steudel for scanning advice, George Keliris for providing analysis code, Andreas Bartels for assistance using SPM and insightful discussions, Helmut Merkle for building the RF coils, and Axel Oeltermann, Joachim Werner, and the Electronics and Machine workshops for their considerable efforts in bringing together the software and peripheral devices used in these experiments. We also thank Prisca Zimmerman, Kevin Spitler, and Clayton Mosher for the SCR recordings. This work was supported by the Max Planck Society (K.L.H., M.C.S., and N.K.L.) and by R01 MH070836 (K.M.G.).
PY - 2007/5/1
Y1 - 2007/5/1
N2 - The social behavior of both human and nonhuman primates relies on specializations for the recognition of individuals, their facial expressions, and their direction of gaze [1-5]. A broad network of cortical and subcortical structures has been implicated in face processing, yet it is unclear whether co-occurring dimensions of face stimuli, such as expression and direction of gaze, are processed jointly or independently by anatomically and functionally segregated neural structures. Awake macaques were presented with a set of monkey faces displaying aggressive, neutral, and appeasing expressions with head and eyes either averted or directed. BOLD responses to these faces as compared to Fourier-phase-scrambled images revealed widespread activation of the superior temporal sulcus and inferotemporal cortex and included activity in the amygdala. The different dimensions of the face stimuli elicited distinct activation patterns among the amygdaloid nuclei. The basolateral amygdala, including the lateral, basal, and accessory basal nuclei, produced a stronger response for threatening than appeasing expressions. The central nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis responded more to averted than directed-gaze faces. Independent behavioral measures confirmed that faces with averted gaze were more arousing, suggesting the activity in the central nucleus may be related to attention and arousal.
AB - The social behavior of both human and nonhuman primates relies on specializations for the recognition of individuals, their facial expressions, and their direction of gaze [1-5]. A broad network of cortical and subcortical structures has been implicated in face processing, yet it is unclear whether co-occurring dimensions of face stimuli, such as expression and direction of gaze, are processed jointly or independently by anatomically and functionally segregated neural structures. Awake macaques were presented with a set of monkey faces displaying aggressive, neutral, and appeasing expressions with head and eyes either averted or directed. BOLD responses to these faces as compared to Fourier-phase-scrambled images revealed widespread activation of the superior temporal sulcus and inferotemporal cortex and included activity in the amygdala. The different dimensions of the face stimuli elicited distinct activation patterns among the amygdaloid nuclei. The basolateral amygdala, including the lateral, basal, and accessory basal nuclei, produced a stronger response for threatening than appeasing expressions. The central nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis responded more to averted than directed-gaze faces. Independent behavioral measures confirmed that faces with averted gaze were more arousing, suggesting the activity in the central nucleus may be related to attention and arousal.
KW - SYSNEURO
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U2 - 10.1016/j.cub.2007.03.040
DO - 10.1016/j.cub.2007.03.040
M3 - Article
C2 - 17412586
AN - SCOPUS:34247360016
SN - 0960-9822
VL - 17
SP - 766
EP - 772
JO - Current Biology
JF - Current Biology
IS - 9
ER -