Multifaceted integration - memory for faces is subserved by widespread connections between visual, memory, social and auditory networks

Abstract

Face memory abilities are at the core of human social interaction, yet these vary widely within the general population, ranging from developmental prosopagnosia to \"super-recognizers\". Previous work has focused mainly on the contribution of the well described face network to this variance. However, given the nature of the face memory task, and the social context in which it takes place, we were interested in exploring how the collaboration between different networks outside the face network (measured through resting state connectivity) affects performance on face memory tasks. We discovered that face recognition memory is supported by a wide network of connections between the face patches, memory regions, auditory regions and social networks. Moreover, this network was selective for memory for faces, and did not predict memory for other visual objects, such as cars.