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ACC and IPL networks in the perception of the faces of parents during selective tasks

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Abstract

The perception of the faces of parents is different from that of other faces. Mother’s face perception is associated with childbearing and parenting and has specific cognitive processing properties. Yet, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We investigated the neural network that is involved in the perception of parent’s face based upon parental face selective tasks that were completed by 23 normal adults. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a task block design with fixation cross sign control fMRI were used. The faces activated the right inferior frontal gyrus, the left and right middle frontal gyri, and the left and right inferior parietal lobule. In addition, the parental faces task resulted in more activation than the control tasks in the left and right anterior cingulate, left middle (superior) temporal gyrus, right and left inferior frontal gyrus. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) are central nodes of the brain network, while the parental face perception network includes the anterior cingulate cortex and superior temporal gyrus (ACC-STG)/parahippocampal network as well as the inferior frontal and inferior parietal lobule (IFG-IPL) network. The network of father’s face perception involves the left inferior parietal lobule and left middle frontal gyrus/right middle frontal gyrus/right inferior frontal gyrus, while mother’s face perception involves the right inferior parietal lobe and frontal network (MFG.L/IFG.R). The experiments showed that the ACC-STG/parahippocampal network and IFG-IPL network are neural networks used in parental face perception, and the ACC and IPL are central nodes in the network. The neural pathway of parental face perception is similar to the perception of a stranger’s face, as both include the STG, but is different in that the perception of the stranger’s face involves a connected STG and IPL as a specific neural pathway.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the following sources: the NSFC-Guangdong Union Foundation (Grant No. U1201257) and the Shenzhen Basic Research Project (Grant No. JCYJ20150630114942306).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational College, Guangzhou University, No.230 Waihuan West Road, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China, 510006

    Hongchang Zhai & Yuan Yu

  2. School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China

    Wei Zhang

  3. Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Gang Chen

  4. Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1068, Xueyuan Avenue, Xili University Town, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, 518055

    Fucang Jia

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  1. Hongchang Zhai
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Hongchang Zhai, Yuan Yu, Wei Zhang, Gang Chen, and Fucang Jia declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Zhai, H., Yu, Y., Zhang, W. et al. ACC and IPL networks in the perception of the faces of parents during selective tasks. Brain Imaging and Behavior 10, 1172–1183 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-015-9486-1

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