High-level visual areas in ventral temporal cortex (VTC) support recognition of important categories, such as faces and words. Word-selective regions are left lateralized and emerge at the onset of reading instruction. Face-selective regions are right lateralized and have been documented in infancy. Prevailing theories suggest that face-selective regions become right lateralized due to competition with word-selective regions in the left hemisphere. However, recent longitudinal studies examining face- and word-selective responses in childhood do not provide support for this theory. Instead, there is evidence that word representations recycle cortex previously involved in processing other stimuli, such as limbs. These findings call for more longitudinal investigations of cortical recycling and a new era of work that links visual experience and behavior with neural responses.

腹侧颞叶皮层 (VTC) 的高级视觉区域支持重要类别的识别，例如面部和单词。单词选择区域是左偏的，并在阅读教学开始时出现。面部选择性区域是右侧化的，并且在婴儿期就有记录。流行的理论表明，由于与左半球的单词选择区域竞争，面部选择区域变得右偏化。然而，最近对儿童时期的面部和言语选择性反应进行的纵向研究并没有为这一理论提供支持。相反，有证据表明，单词表征会回收先前参与处理其他刺激（例如四肢）的皮层。这些发现需要对皮质循环进行更多纵向研究，并开启将视觉体验和行为与神经反应联系起来的新工作时代。