The selectivity of the occipitotemporal M170 for faces

Evidence from fMRI, ERPs, and intracranial recordings suggests the existence of face-specific mechanisms in the primate occipitotemporal cortex. The present study used a 64-channel MEG system to monitor neural activity while normal subjects viewed a sequence of grayscale photographs of a variety of unfamiliar faces and non-face stimuli. In fourteen out of fifteen subjects, face stimuli evoked a larger response than non-face stimuli at a latency of 160 msec after stimulus onset at bilateral occipitotemporal sensors. Inverted face stimuli elicited responses that were no different in amplitude but 13 msec later in latency than upright faces. The profile of this M170 response across stimulus conditions is largely consistent with prior results using scalp and subdural ERPs