Summary
The brain is organized into distinct, but not rigid, networks. Sensory systems, for example, are enormously flexible, with cognitive variables such as attention, value, and memory able to alter sensory representations in accordance with moment-to-moment behavioral demands. Understanding these top-down modulations requires several experimental considerations. First, to understand network function, task demands must be congruent with the domain to which a network is sensitive. Second, bottom-up, sensory input must remain identical to isolate top-down effects. By combining high SNR functional imaging with the presentation of identical face stimuli under varying task demands, we have demonstrated the presence of novel face-relevant signals in regions homologous to those in non-human primate. Critically, one task was domain-specific, requiring that participants report face perception. The anterior inferior temporal region, which has historically proved difficult to resolve in humans, is both preferentially activated under challenging conditions and uniquely encodes the trial-by-trial variability of perception.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.