Abstract
The extrastriate body area (EBA) is a body‐selective focal region located in the lateral occipito‐temporal cortex that responds strongly to images of human bodies and body parts in comparison with other classes of stimuli. Whether EBA contributes also to the body recognition of self versus others remains in debate. We investigated whether EBA contributes to self‐other distinction and whether there might be a hemispheric‐side specificity to that contribution using double‐pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in right‐handed participants. Prior to the TMS experiment, all participants underwent an fMRI localizer task to determine individual EBA location. TMS was then applied over either right EBA, left EBA or vertex, while participants performed an identification task in which images of self or others' right, or left hands were presented. TMS over both EBAs slowed responses, with no identity‐specific effect. However, TMS applied over right EBA induced significantly more errors on other's hands than noTMS, TMS over left EBA or over the Vertex, when applied at 100–110 ms after image onset. The last three conditions did not differ, nor was there any difference for self‐hands. These findings suggest that EBA participates in self/other discrimination.
Highlights
The Extrastriate Body Area (EBA) is a functional region located in the lateral occipito-temporal cortex (Downing et al, 2001)
Studies confirmed the implication of extrastriate body area (EBA) in body perception, showing that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over EBA disrupted performance in the visual processing of non-facial body parts, while leaving unchanged visual processing of face parts and non-corporeal stimuli (Pitcher et al, 2009; Urgesi et al, 2004)
This study emphasizes the usefulness of TMS to explore visual cognition, and the importance to control the site of stimulation using fMRI localizer, as well as the intensity and timing of stimulation
Summary
The Extrastriate Body Area (EBA) is a functional region located in the lateral occipito-temporal cortex (Downing et al, 2001). In functional MRI studies, viewing body representations elicits higher responses in EBA than other stimuli, suggesting a specific role in the visual perception of bodies. Studies confirmed the implication of EBA in body perception, showing that repetitive TMS (rTMS) over EBA disrupted performance in the visual processing of non-facial body parts, while leaving unchanged visual processing of face parts and non-corporeal stimuli (Pitcher et al, 2009; Urgesi et al, 2004). TMS interfered with the processing of inverted but not upright bodies (Urgesi et al, 2007), suggesting that EBA processes isolated body parts rather than whole bodies. Beyond the visual perception of bodies and body parts, several lines of evidence suggest that EBA represents the body in a multisensory and dynamic manner
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