2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Facial recognition in patients with Williams syndrome-an MEG study-
| Project/Area Number |
15591152
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Pediatrics
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| Research Institution | Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAMURA Miho Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center, Department of Functioning Science, Senior Researcher, 機能発達学部, 主任研究員 (70291945)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
WATANABE Shoko National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Department of Integrative Physiology, Assistant professor, 生理学研究所, 助手 (00321612)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2004
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| Keywords | Williams syndrome / magnetoencephalography / MEG / face / Face inversion effect |
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| Research Abstract |
We examined face perception processing in a patient with Williams syndrome(WMS) using magnetoencephalography(MEG) by evaluating responses to the upright and inverted face stimuli. The face-perception-specific MEG component, 2M, was clearly identified in response to both upright and inverted face images in this patient, but its peak latency to the inverted face was shorter than that to the upright face. This finding was much different from that in healthy subjects, who usually showed a longer latency of 2M for the inverted face than for the upright face, which is the "face inversion effect". In the present patient with WMS, the "face inversion effect" was absent, meaning the peak latency of the 2M for the inverted face stimuli was not prolonged than that for the face upright stimuli. The peak latency for the upright face was not different from that of the healthy subjects. In each stimulus session, the locations of the dipole sources of the 2M component were estimated in the inferior temporal lobe and posterior part of the occipital lobe, which were consistent with those obtained in healthy subjects.
These findings indicate that neurophysiological process of upright face perception in this patient is not different from those of healthy subjects at least concerning the face-perception-specific MEG component 2M, whereas, that of the inverted faces was different from those in healthy subjects in terms of latency, indicating the absence of inversion effects. The phenomenon may indicate a predominance of local processing in the patient, since local processing is considered to be necessary in the processing of inverted faces.
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Research Products
(3 results)
