Characterization of face-selective patches in orbitofrontal cortex

Face processing involves a complex,multimodal brain network. while visual-perceptual face patches in posterior parts of the brain have been studied for over a decade,the existence and properties of face-selective regions in orbitofrontal cortex (ofc) is a relatively new area of research. while regions of ofc are implicated in the emotional processing of faces,this is typically interpreted as a domain-general response to affective value rather than a face- or socially-specific response. however,electrophysiology studies in monkeys have identified neurons in ofc that respond more to faces than any other stimuli. here,we characterize the prevalence and location of ofc face-selective regions in 20 healthy college students. we did this by including another biologically motivating category (appetizing foods) in a variant of the standard face localizer. results show that face-selective patches can be identified at the individual level. furthermore,in both a region of interest (roi) and a whole brain analysis,medial regions of the ofc were face-selective,while lateral regions were responsive to faces and foods,indicating a domain-general response in lateral ofc. medial ofc (mofc) response to faces scales in relationship to a measure of social motivation that is distinct from face processing abilities associated with fusiform cortex. © 2016 troiani,dougherty,michael and olson.