Abstract
Extensive studies have demonstrated that face recognition performance does not reach adult levels until adolescence. However, there is no consensus on whether such prolonged improvement stems from development of general cognitive factors or face-specific mechanisms. Here, we used behavioral experiments and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate these two hypotheses. With a large cohort of children (n = 379), we found that the ability of face-specific recognition in humans increased with age throughout childhood and into late adolescence in both face memory and face perception. Neurally, to circumvent the potential problem of age differences in task performance, attention, or cognitive strategies in task-state fMRI studies, we measured the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the occipital face area (OFA) and fusiform face area (FFA) in human brain and found that the OFA-FFA RSFC increased until 11–13 years of age. Moreover, the OFA-FFA RSFC was selectively impaired in adults with developmental prosopagnosia (DP). In contrast, no age-related changes or differences between DP and normal adults were observed for RSFCs in the object system. Finally, the OFA-FFA RSFC matured earlier than face selectivity in either the OFA or FFA. These results suggest the critical role of the OFA-FFA RSFC in the development of face recognition. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that prolonged development of face recognition is face specific, not domain general.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT There is long-standing debate on whether the prolonged age-related improvement in face recognition performance stems from development of general cognitive factors or face-specific mechanisms. Here, we provide novel evidence for protracted development of face-specific mechanisms. Specifically, the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the fusiform face area and occipital face area, two core brain areas in the face network, increased until 11–13 years of age and was selectively impaired in adults with developmental prosopagnosia. These results suggested the importance of the face network RSFC in the development of face recognition. Our study invites a broader investigation of whether the development of other cognitive abilities is similarly guided by the development of connectivity within the corresponding neural networks.