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Is eye contact the key to the social brain?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2010

Atsushi Senju  and
Mark H. Johnson
Atsushi Senju
Affiliation:
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom. [email protected]@bbk.ac.uk
Mark H. Johnson
Affiliation:
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom. [email protected]@bbk.ac.uk
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Abstract

Eye contact plays a critical role in many aspects of face processing, including the processing of smiles. We propose that this is achieved by a subcortical route, which is activated by eye contact and modulates the cortical areas involve in social cognition, including the processing of facial expression. This mechanism could be impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 33 , Issue 6 , December 2010 , pp. 458 - 459
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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