Occipito-temporal regions within the face network process perceptual and socio-emotional information, but the dynamics and information flow between different nodes of this network is still debated. Here, we analyzed intracerebral EEG from 11 epileptic patients viewing a stimulus sequence beginning with a neutral face with direct gaze. The gaze could avert or remain direct, while the emotion changed to fearful or happy. N200 field potential peak latencies indicated that face processing begins in inferior occipital cortex and proceeds anteroventrally to fusiform and inferior temporal cortices, in parallel. The superior temporal sulcus responded preferentially to gaze changes with augmented field potential amplitudes for averted versus direct gaze, and large effect sizes relative to other network regions. An overlap analysis of posterior white matter tractography endpoints (from 1066 healthy brains) relative to active intracerebral electrodes in the 11 patients showed likely involvement of both dorsal and ventral posterior white matter pathways. Overall, our data provide new insight on the timing of face and social cue processing in the occipito-temporal brain and anchor the superior temporal cortex in dynamic gaze processing.

中文翻译：

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颅内神经生理学和白质束终点研究后背和腹面网络中的视觉信息路径

人脸网络中的枕颞区域处理知觉和社会情感信息，但该网络不同节点之间的动力学和信息流仍然存在争议。在这里，我们分析了11名癫痫患者的脑电图，观察了从中性面孔开始直接注视的刺激序列。当情绪变成恐惧或快乐时，凝视可以避免或保持直接。N200场电势峰值潜伏期表明，面部处理从枕下皮质开始，并从前房到梭形和颞下皮质并行进行。相对于直接注视，上颞沟优先对注视变化做出反应，增强了场势幅度，相对于其他网络区域而言，效果较大。对11例患者中活动性脑内电极后白质束描记终点（来自1066个健康的大脑）的重叠分析显示，背侧和腹侧后白质通路均可能参与。总体而言，我们的数据为枕颞大脑中面部和社交提示处理的时机提供了新的见解，并在动态注视处理中锚定了上颞皮质。