cqvip:Objective: To investigate the involvement of the rhinal cortex and the hippoca mpus in the processing of famous faces in contrast to nonfamous faces using intr acranial event related potentials (ERPs), and to analyze repetition effects for famous and nonfamous faces. Methods: ERPs were elicited by pictures of famous a nd nonfamous faces and recorded from rhinal and hippocampal sites of intracrania l electrodes in 10 presurgical patients with unilateral medial temporal lobe epi lepsy. Famous and nonfamous faces were presented twice and mixed with distorted faces serving as targets. There was no instruction for an overt discrimination b etween famous and nonfamous faces. In contrast to nonfamous faces, famous faces stimulate processes related with access and retrieval of semantic memory. Result s: All faces evoked anterior medial temporal lobe N400 like (AMTL N400) potent ials in the rhinal cortex and P600like potentials in the hippocampus. The AMTL N400 and the hippocampal P600 amplitudes were larger for famous faces than for n onfamous faces. Mean amplitudes of the first and second presentation of famous f aces suggest a repetition effect for the rhinal sites; however, they are signifi cant only in the later signal components. No repetition effect was found for non famous faces and for potentials from the hippocampus. Conclusion: The anterior m edial temporal lobe N400 and the hippocampal P600 may be related to the access a nd retrieval of person specific semantic memory.
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