Connectivity at the origins of domain specificity in the cortical face and place networks

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Frederik S. Kamps, Emory University; Cassandra L. Hendrix, Emory University; Patricia Brennan, Emory University; Daniel Dilks, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-03-17
• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: Published under the PNAS license
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911359117
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• Volume: 117
• Issue: 11
• Start Page: 6163
• End Page: 6169
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by Emory College, Emory University (D.D.D.), the National Eye Institute (Grant R01 EY029724, to D.D.D.), the Emory University HERCULES Exposome Research Center (Grant NIEHS P30 ES019776, to D.D.D.), the National Eye Institute (Grant T32EY7092, to F.S.K.), the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (Grant DGE-1444932, to C.L.H.), an Eleanor Munsterberg Koppitz Dissertation Fellowship (to C.L.H.), and a National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression Young Investigator Award (to Katrina C. Johnson).
• Keywords: fusiform face area; development; fMRI; neonates; parahippocampal place area
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Psychology, Cognitive; Health Sciences, Radiology

Abstract

Where does knowledge come from? We addressed this classic question using the test cases of the cortical face and scene networks: two well-studied examples of specialized “knowledge” systems in the adult brain. We found that neonates already show domain-specific patterns of functional connectivity between regions that will later develop full-blown face and scene selectivity. Furthermore, the proto face network showed stronger functional connectivity with foveal than with peripheral primary visual cortex, while the proto scene network showed the opposite pattern, revealing that these networks already receive differential visual inputs. Our findings support the hypothesis that innate connectivity precedes the emergence of domain-specific function in cortex, shedding new light on the age-old question of the origins of human knowledge.