Facial identity influences facial expression recognition: A high-density ERP study.

The relationship between facial identity and facial expression processing has long been debated. Although previous facial recognition models indicate that facial identity and facial expression processing are independent, psychological studies using the selective attention task (the Garner paradigm) have revealed an asymmetrical relationship between the perception of identity and emotional expressions in faces: while facial expression does not influence facial identity recognition, facial identity influences facial expression recognition. We used the Garner paradigm and recorded high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the influence of facial identity on facial expression recognition.

A Potential VEP Biomarker for Mild Cognitive Impairment: Evidence from Selective Visual Deficit of Higher-Level Dorsal Pathway.

Visual dysfunctions are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim was to establish a neurophysiological biomarker for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in aMCI patients who later developed AD (n = 15) and in healthy older (n = 15) and younger controls (n = 15).

Distinct role of spatial frequency in dissociative reading of ideograms and phonograms: an fMRI study.

It has been proposed that distinct neural circuits are activated by reading Japanese ideograms (Kanji) and phonograms (Kana). By measuring high-density event-related potentials, we recently reported that spatial frequency (SF) information is responsible for the dissociation between Kanji and Kana reading. In particular, we found close links between Kana and low SF (LSF) information and between Kanji and high SF (HSF) information.

Relevance of in vivo neurophysiological biomarkers for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Visuospatial dysfunction including defects in motion perception in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are clues to search for potential in vivo biomarkers. In this review, we focus on the clinical relevance of non-invasive neurophysiological findings in event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess visual dysfunction in AD and MCI. We first summarize the current concept of the parallel visual pathways in primates and humans.

Differential roles of spatial frequency on reading processes for ideograms and phonograms: a high-density ERP study.

The neural substrate of the dissociation between reading Japanese ideograms (Kanji) and phonograms (Kana) is currently unclear. To test whether spatial frequency (SF) information is responsible for this phenomenon, we recorded high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) with unfiltered or spatially filtered word stimuli in Japanese-speaking subjects. Kanji (early-learned, late-learned), Kana (word, non-word), and scrambled characters served as stimuli.