Faces in the Brain: The Discovery of a Neuronal Subpopulation Selective for Face Recognition.

Facial recognition is a fundamental feature of primate social interaction. However, the location and number of neurons that are solely dedicated to the recognition of faces and facial features are not well known. The following mini review describes a paper by Perrett and colleagues that identifies and describes a subpopulation of neurons in the superior temporal sulcus that appear to be strongly tuned to faces and facial features. This paper holds great value for undergraduate teaching, as it is a foundational paper within the literature of face recognition. It is an example of a publication that stands the test of time, promotes the birth of many new fields of research and displays easy to understand experimentation with profound results.