A neural network reflecting decisions about human faces

Anatomic structures have been linked to the mnemonic component of working memory, but the neural network underlying associated decision processes remains elusive. Here we present an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study that measured activity during the decision period of a delayed face recognition task. A double dissociation of activity between anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and a network including left fusiform face area (FFA) and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), reflected whether a probe face matched the remembered face at the time of decision. Greater activity in the left FFA and left DLPFC correlated with probe faces that matched the remembered face; in contrast, activity in ACC was greater when the probe face did not match the remembered face. These results support a model where frontal regions act in concert with stimulus-specific temporal structures to make recognition decisions about visual stimuli.