The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is a critical node in a network specialized for perceiving emotional facial expressions that is reciprocally connected with early visual cortices (V1/V2). Current models of perceptual decision-making increasingly assign relevance to recursive processing for visual recognition. However, it is unknown whether inducing plasticity into reentrant connections from pSTS to V1/V2 impacts emotion perception. Using a combination of electrophysiological and neurostimulation methods, we demonstrate that strengthening the connectivity from pSTS to V1/V2 selectively increases the ability to perceive facial expressions associated with emotions. This behavior is associated with increased electrophysiological activity in both these brain regions, particularly in V1/V2, and depends on specific temporal parameters of stimulation that follow Hebbian principles. Therefore, we provide evidence that pSTS-to-V1/V2 back-projections are instrumental to perception of emotion from facial stimuli and functionally malleable via manipulation of associative plasticity. Temporo-occipital areas are involved in perceiving emotional faces.
Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions / Borgomaneri S.; Zanon M.; Di Luzio P.; Cataneo A.; Arcara G.; Romei V.; Tamietto M.; Avenanti A.. - In: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 2041-1723. - ELETTRONICO. - 14:1(2023), pp. 5720.1-5720.15. [10.1038/s41467-023-41058-3]
Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions
Borgomaneri S.
;Zanon M.;Di Luzio P.;Cataneo A.;Romei V.;Avenanti A.
2023
Abstract
The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is a critical node in a network specialized for perceiving emotional facial expressions that is reciprocally connected with early visual cortices (V1/V2). Current models of perceptual decision-making increasingly assign relevance to recursive processing for visual recognition. However, it is unknown whether inducing plasticity into reentrant connections from pSTS to V1/V2 impacts emotion perception. Using a combination of electrophysiological and neurostimulation methods, we demonstrate that strengthening the connectivity from pSTS to V1/V2 selectively increases the ability to perceive facial expressions associated with emotions. This behavior is associated with increased electrophysiological activity in both these brain regions, particularly in V1/V2, and depends on specific temporal parameters of stimulation that follow Hebbian principles. Therefore, we provide evidence that pSTS-to-V1/V2 back-projections are instrumental to perception of emotion from facial stimuli and functionally malleable via manipulation of associative plasticity. Temporo-occipital areas are involved in perceiving emotional faces.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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