Retinotopy mapping for Face Stimuli and Attention in the fusiform face area

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used for over a decade to study early cortical retinotopic maps in the peripheral visual areas in the human brain. However, few data were about the higher visual area, especially the object selected activation area. Novel mapping stimuli composed of face figures were used to study the extent and layout of multiple retinotopic regions in the fusiform face area and to examine the independent manipulation of retinotopic responses by stimuli of face and by attention of face. In the face defining task, a region of the fusiform face area (FFA) was exhibited face activated. Similar as the in the peripheral visual areas, FFA aslo had retinotopic esponsive to face stimuli and attention. The present results show that the attention+stimuli task, stimuli task, and attention task, the FFA has significant activities for the both left and right filed face wedge. The FFA both also had a phase change along the Fusiform gyrus, especial in the attention+stimuli task, stimuli task. This result reflected the topographic character derived by attention and stimuli. Moreover, the perception is modulated by attention.