A fast neural signature of motivated attention to consumer goods separates the sexes.

Emotional stimuli guide selective visual attention and receive enhanced processing. Previous event-related potential studies have identified an early (>120 ms) negative potential shift over occipito-temporal regions (early posterior negativity, EPN) presumed to indicate the facilitated processing of survival-relevant stimuli. The present study investigated whether this neural signature of motivated attention is also responsive to the intrinsic significance of man-made objects and consumer goods.

Early left-hemispheric dysfunction of face processing in congenital prosopagnosia: an MEG study.

Background: Congenital prosopagnosia is a severe face perception impairment which is not acquired by a brain lesion and is presumably present from birth. It manifests mostly by an inability to recognise familiar persons. Electrophysiological research has demonstrated the relevance to face processing of a negative deflection peaking around 170 ms, labelled accordingly as N170 in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and M170 in magnetoencephalography (MEG).

On the interplay between familiarity and emotional expression in face perception.

Traditional models of face perception (e.g. Bruce and Young 1986) stress independent routes for processing identity and emotional expression.