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One object, two networks? Assessing the relationship between the face and body-selective regions in the primate visual system

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Abstract

Faces and bodies are often treated as distinct categories that are processed separately by face- and body-selective brain regions in the primate visual system. These regions occupy distinct regions of visual cortex and are often thought to constitute independent functional networks. Yet faces and bodies are part of the same object and their presence inevitably covary in naturalistic settings. Here, we re-evaluate both the evidence supporting the independent processing of faces and bodies and the organizational principles that have been invoked to explain this distinction. We outline four hypotheses ranging from completely separate networks to a single network supporting the perception of whole people or animals. The current evidence, especially in humans, is compatible with all of these hypotheses, making it presently unclear how the representation of faces and bodies is organized in the cortex.

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Fig. 1

© Arne Olav Gurvin Fredriksen. B Accidental visual fusions of faces and bodies

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Funding

This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Mental Health (ZIAMH002909 to C.I.B). J.T. was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council (FT200100843).

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  1. Jessica Taubert and J. Brendan Ritchie equally contributing authors.

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  1. The Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, The National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Jessica Taubert, J. Brendan Ritchie, Leslie G. Ungerleider & Christopher I. Baker

  2. School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Jessica Taubert

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JT, JBR, and LGU developed the ideas for the original draft; JT, JBR, and CIB, wrote and edited the final version of the manuscript.

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Leslie G. Ungerleider passed away suddenly on the 11th of December 2020 after hel** to prepare the original manuscript for submission with the expectation of authorship.

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Taubert, J., Ritchie, J.B., Ungerleider, L.G. et al. One object, two networks? Assessing the relationship between the face and body-selective regions in the primate visual system. Brain Struct Funct 227, 1423–1438 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02420-7

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