feature detectors and neural processing

feature detectors in vision

simple cells act as feature detectors, responding to specific visual features such as lines of a particular orientation

specialized detectors for faces

the face fusiform area in the right temporal lobe appears to be specialized for processing faces

neurons in this area respond to faces but not nonface objects

grandmother cell

a single neuron dedicated to recognizing a specific individual (e.g., your grandmother) is unlikely.

instead, facial recognition likely arises from distributed patterns of activity across populations of neurons

halle berry neuron

A study found a neuron in the hippocampus that responded specifically to Halle Berry-related stimuli, suggesting specialized processing for individual recognition. Follow-up research showed similar patterns with other familiar faces.