Investigating the role of the fusiform face area and occipital face area using multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation

Siew Kei Kho; David R T Keeble; Hoo Keat Wong; Alejandro J Estudillo

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108663

Investigating the role of the fusiform face area and occipital face area using multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation

Neuropsychologia. 2023 Oct 10:189:108663. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108663. Epub 2023 Aug 22.

Authors

Siew Kei Kho¹, David R T Keeble², Hoo Keat Wong², Alejandro J Estudillo³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK; School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Malaysia. Electronic address: kkho@bournemouth.ac.uk.
² School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Malaysia.
³ Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK; School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Malaysia. Electronic address: aestudillo@bournemouth.ac.uk.

PMID: 37611740
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108663

Abstract

The functional role of the occipital face area (OFA) and the fusiform face area (FFA) in face recognition is inconclusive to date. While some research has shown that the OFA and FFA are involved in early (i.e., featural processing) and late (i.e., holistic processing) stages of face recognition respectively, other research suggests that both regions are involved in both early and late stages of face recognition. Thus, the current study aims to further examine the role of the OFA and the FFA using multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In Experiment 1, we used computer-generated faces. Thirty-five participants completed whole face and facial features (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth) recognition tasks after OFA and FFA stimulation in a within-subject design. No difference was found in recognition performance after either OFA or FFA stimulation. In Experiment 2 with 60 participants, we used real faces, provided stimulation following a between-subjects design and included a sham control group. Results showed that FFA stimulation led to enhanced efficiency of facial features recognition. Additionally, no effect of OFA stimulation was found for either facial feature or whole face recognition. These results suggest the involvement of FFA in the recognition of facial features.

Keywords: Brain stimulation; Face recognition; Fusiform gyrus; Multifocal stimulation; Transcranial electrical stimulation.