PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The gaze-following patch (GFP) is located in the posterior temporal cortex and has been described as a cortical module dedicated to processing other people\'s gaze-direction in a domain-specific manner. Thus, it appears to be the neural correlate of Baron-Cohen\'s eye direction detector (EDD) which is one of the core modules in his mindreading system-a neurocognitive model for the theory of mind concept. Inspired by Jerry Fodor\'s ideas on the modularity of the mind, Baron-Cohen proposed that, among other things, the individual modules are domain specific. In the case of the EDD, this means that it exclusively processes eye-like stimuli to extract gaze-direction and that other stimuli, which may carry directional information as well, are processed elsewhere. If the GFP is indeed EDD\'s neural correlate, it must meet this expectation. To test this, we compared the GFP\'s BOLD activity during gaze-direction following with the activity during arrow-direction following in the present human fMRI study. Contrary to the expectation based on the assumption of domain specificity, we did not find a differentiation between gaze- and arrow-direction following. In fact, we were not able to reproduce the GFP as presented in the previous studies. A possible explanation is that in the present study-unlike the previous work-the gaze stimuli did not contain an obvious change of direction that represented a visual motion. Hence, the critical stimulus component responsible for the identification of the GFP in the previous experiments might have been visual motion.
摘要：
凝视跟随补丁（GFP）位于后颞叶皮层中，已被描述为专用于以域特定方式处理其他人的凝视方向的皮层模块。因此，它似乎是Baron-Cohen的眼睛方向检测器（EDD）的神经相关，这是他的思维系统中的核心模块之一-思维理论概念的神经认知模型。受到JerryFodor关于思想模块化的想法的启发，Baron-Cohen提出,除其他外，各个模块是特定于域的。在EDD的情况下，这意味着它专门处理类似眼睛的刺激以提取注视方向和其他刺激，也可能携带方向信息，在其他地方处理。如果GFP确实是EDD的神经相关，则必须满足此期望。为了测试这个，在目前的人类fMRI研究中，我们比较了凝视方向后GFP的BOLD活性与箭头方向后的活性。与基于域特异性假设的预期相反，我们没有发现凝视和箭头方向之间的区别。事实上,我们无法复制以前研究中提出的GFP。一个可能的解释是，在本研究中-与以前的工作不同-，凝视刺激不包含代表视觉运动的明显方向变化。因此，在以前的实验中，负责识别GFP的关键刺激成分可能是视觉运动。意义陈述本研究提供了反对先前描述的专门用于眼睛注视跟随的颞叶皮质（注视跟随贴片；GFP）区域的域特异性概念的证据。这一结论是通过以下发现得出的，即与要求参与者使用演示者面部的注视方向进行目标选择时相比，使用箭头来识别干扰者中的目标对象伴随着可比甚至更大的BOLD响应。事实上，即使是迄今为止最好的候选人，后颞叶GFP，经不起严格的审查，令人怀疑大脑使用特定的模块来实现凝视跟踪，根据西蒙·巴伦·科恩的提议。
