Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • RESEARCH BRIEFINGS

How the same brain cells can represent both the perception and memory of faces

Long-term memories are thought to be represented by the same brain areas as those that encode sensory stimuli, but the mechanisms remain unclear. A study that recorded neural activity from face-selective regions of the macaque brain found that these regions represent familiar faces using a neural code that is distinct from the one for sensory representation.

This is a summary of: She, L. et al. Temporal multiplexing of perception and memory codes in IT cortex. Nature 629, 861–868 (2024).

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01511-9

‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

References

  1. Scoville, W. B. & Milner, B. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat. 20, 11–21 (1957).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hesse, J. K. & Tsao, D. Y. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 21, 695–716 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Chang, L. & Tsao, D. Y. Cell 169, 1013–1028 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Xiang, J.-Z. & Brown, M. W. Neuropharmacology 37, 657–676 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Boyle, L. M., Posani, L., Irfan, S., Siegelbaum, S. A. & Fusi, S. Neuron 112, 1358–1371 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links