Humans And Chimps Register Faces By Using Similar Brain Regions

Chimpanzees recognize their pals by using some of the same brain regions that switch on when humans register a familiar face

The study—the first to examine brain activity in chimpanzees after they attempt to match fellow chimps' faces—offers new insight into the origin of face recognition in humans, the researchers said

"We can discover what aspects of human cognition are really unique and which are present in other animals."

examined brain activity

in five chimpanzees by using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans

The chimps were shown three faces, two of which were identical, while the third was of a different chimp

the chimpanzees did the same matching task with clip art images

significant face-selective activity in brain regions known to

face-processing network in humans

distinct patches of activity in a region known as the fusiform gyrus—the primary site of face-selective activity in humans—when chimps observed faces