At a single glance: Fast periodic visual stimulation uncovers the spatio-temporal dynamics of brief facial expression changes in the human brain

Abstract

Detecting brief changes of facial expression is vital for social communication. Yet, how reliably, how fast these changes are detected and how long they are processed in the human brain remain unknown. High-density electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded in 18 participants presented with a neutral-expression face at a rate of 5.88 Hz (F) for 80 s. Every five faces, the face changed expression to fear, disgust or happiness (different stimulation sequences). The resulting 1.18 Hz (F/5) EEG response and its harmonics objectively indexed detection of a brief change of facial expression. This response was recorded in every participant in a few minutes but was largely reduced for inverted faces, indicating that it reflects high-level processes. Although this response focused on occipito-temporal sites, different expression changes evoked reliably distinct topographical maps, pointing to partly distinct neural generators. These effects were also observed at a faster 12 Hz frequency rate and a lower ratio of expression change (1/9). Time-domain analysis showed that a brief change of expression inserted in a dynamic stimulation sequence elicits specific occipito-temporal responses between 100 and 310 ms, indicating a rapid change detection process followed by a long integration period of facial expression information in the human brain.