The overlap of neural selectivity between faces and words: evidences from the N170 adaptation effect

TL;DR

This study investigates the neural relationship between face and word recognition by examining N170 adaptation effects, revealing that face selectivity encompasses word selectivity, indicating versatile visual pattern representations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel cross-category adaptation method to explore neural selectivity overlap between faces and words, demonstrating face selectivity's broader scope.

Findings

N170 adaptation shows asymmetry between faces and words

Neural selectivity to faces includes selectivity to words

N170 response to faces is a marker for versatile visual representations

Abstract

Faces and words both evoke an N170, a strong electrophysiological response that is often used as a marker for the early stages of expert pattern perception. We examine the relationship of neural selectivity between faces and words by using a novel application of cross-category adaptation to the N170. We report a strong asymmetry between N170 adaptation induced by faces and by words. This is the first electrophysiological result showing that neural selectivity to faces encompasses neural selectivity to words, and suggests that the N170 response to faces constitutes a neural marker for versatile representations of familiar visual patterns.