The effect of viewpoint on body representation in the extrastriate body area

Functional neuroimaging has revealed several brain regions that are selective for the visual appearance of others, in particular the face. More recent evidence points to a lateral temporal region that responds to the visual appearance of the human body (extrastriate body area or EBA). We tested whether this region distinguishes between egocentric and allocentric views of the self and other people. EBA activity increased significantly for allocentric relative to egocentric views in the right hemisphere, but was not influenced by identity. Whole-brain analyses revealed several regions that were influenced by viewpoint or identity. Modulation of EBA activity by viewpoint was modest relative to modulation by stimulus class. We propose that the EBA plays a relatively early role in social vision.