Causal mechanisms of individual differences in hemispheric lateralization of the face perception network: A DCM-PEB approach.
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- # Causal Mechanisms of Individual Differences in Hemispheric Lateralization of the face perception network: A DCM-PEB approach (Sparta)
- ## Abstract
- Functional lateralization is a fundamental organizational principle of the human brain, yet the neural mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability in hemispheric dominance remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the causal network dynamics contributing to hemispheric lateralization within the face perception system, focusing on the fusiform face area (FFA) and occipital face area (OFA). Using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) combined with Parametric Empirical Bayes (PEB) in a large sample of 110 participants, we examined how individual differences in lateralization indices (LI) relate to effective connectivity in the bilateral core face network.
- Two complementary approaches were applied: a hypothesis-driven model comparison and additionally an exploratory model reduction. Both analyses consistently showed that lateralization in the FFA and OFA were explained by distinct network mechanisms. FFA lateralization was primarily driven by processes in the left hemisphere, reflected in a face-specific modulation of self-inhibition in the left OFA. Specifically, increased left-lateralization was associated with reduced self-inhibition (i.e., increased excitability) in the left OFA. In contrast, OFA lateralization depended on interhemispheric interactions involving both hemispheres, most prominently between the left and right FFAs. Notably, in both cases, lateralization arose from network-level interactions rather than changes within the regions themselves, highlighting the distributed nature of hemispheric specialization in face processing.
- ## Contributors
- - Julia Elina Stocker, e<!-- -->l<!-- -->i<!-- -->n<!-- -->a<!-- -->.<!-- -->
- s<!-- -->t<!-- -->o<!-- -->c<!-- -->k<!-- -->e<!-- -->r<!-- -->
- @<!-- -->
- u<!-- -->n<!-- -->i<!-- -->-<!-- -->m<!-- -->a<!-- -->r<!-- -->b<!-- -->u<!-- -->r<!-- -->g<!-- -->
- .<!-- -->d<!-- -->e, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8251-0906
- - Peter Zeidman, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3610-6619
- - Ina Thome, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1285-3348
- - Kristin Marie Rusch,
- - Jens Sommer,
- - Olaf Steinsträter,
- - Andreas Jansen, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3140-8207
- ## Data
- The data have been originally acquired for another study (Thome et al. 2021). The raw data have **not** been made publicly available due to data protection laws. Please contact the corresponding authors of the prevous study directly, if you are interested in the data. However, T-maps are retrievable over the OSF repository under the following link: [osf.io/s8gwd](https://osf.io/s8gwd/).
- ## Overview
- Data were acquire at the University of Marburg. Participants viewed several paradigmas, including the face perception localizer, used in this study. Face perception is functionally lateralized to the right hemisphere. However, there is large variety between participants, with many also showing left-laterlized face processing (Thome et al. 2021).
- The main question here focussed on finding the effect of lateralization differences within the face network dynamics. We have looked at the core face processing network, including the bilateral FFA, OFA and the EVC as input region. Constructing one main DCM model, we modelled the modulatory changes when people perceived faces in comparison to scrambled images. Using this one model we assessed the interindividual differences on second level using the PEB approach (Zeidman et al. 2019). This allowed us to retrieve those connections that were driven by lateralization differences across participants.
- ## Notes
- ## Literature
- Thome I, García Alanis JC, Volk J, Vogelbacher C, Steinsträter O, Jansen A. Let's face it: The lateralization of the face perception network as measured with fMRI is not clearly right dominant. Neuroimage. 2022 Nov;263:119587. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119587. Epub 2022 Aug 27. PMID: 36031183.
- Zeidman, P., Jafarian, A., Corbin, N., Seghier, M. L., Razi, A., Price, C. J., & Friston, K. J. (2019). A guide to group effective connectivity analysis, part 1: First level analysis with DCM for fMRI. NeuroImage, 200, 174–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.031
- Zeidman, P., Jafarian, A., Seghier, M. L., Litvak, V., Cagnan, H., Price, C. J., & Friston, K. J. (2019). A guide to group effective connectivity analysis, part 2: Second level analysis with PEB. NeuroImage, 200, 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.032
README.md at commit 1058ffa, no license · at the source
Overview
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Clinic of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Medical Center-, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Universities of Marburg, Gießen and Darmstadt, Germany
- Core-Facility Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Abstract
Functional lateralization is a fundamental organizational principle of the human brain, yet the neural mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability in hemispheric dominance remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the causal network dynamics contributing to hemispheric lateralization within the face perception system, focusing on the fusiform face area (FFA) and occipital face area (OFA). Using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) combined with Parametric Empirical Bayes (PEB) in a large sample of 110 participants, we examined how individual differences in lateralization indices (LI) relate to effective connectivity in the bilateral core face network. Two complementary approaches were applied: a hypothesis-driven model comparison and additionally an exploratory model reduction. Both analyses consistently showed that lateralization in the FFA and OFA was explained by distinct network mechanisms. FFA lateralization was primarily driven by processes in the left hemisphere, reflected in a face-specific modulation of self-inhibition in the left OFA. Specifically, increased left-lateralization was associated with reduced self-inhibition (i.e., increased excitability) in the left OFA. In contrast, OFA lateralization depended on interhemispheric interactions involving both hemispheres, most prominently between the left and right FFAs. Notably, in both cases, lateralization arose from network-level interactions rather than changes within the regions themselves, highlighting the distributed nature of hemispheric specialization in face processing.
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gitlab.uni-marburg.de/stocker4/sparta
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Sparta_Analysis_FirstLev , MATLAB, not shown hereel.mlx - 04_data_analysis/
Sparta_Analysis_SecondLe , MATLAB, not shown herevel.mlx - 04_data_analysis/
Sparta_Visualization.mlx , MATLAB, not shown here - README.md, Text, 36 lines
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This paper
Stocker, J. E., Zeidman, P., Thome, I., Rusch, K. M., Sommer, J., Steinsträter, O., & Jansen, A. (2026). Causal mechanisms of individual differences in hemispheric lateralization of the face perception network: A DCM-PEB approach. Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.), 4, IMAG.a.1219. https://
BibTeX
@article{stocker2026caus
author = {Stocker, Julia Elina and Zeidman, Peter and Thome, Ina and Rusch, Kristin Marie and Sommer, Jens and Steinsträter, Olaf and Jansen, Andreas},
title = {{Causal mechanisms of individual differences in hemispheric lateralization of the face perception network: A DCM-PEB approach}},
journal = {Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)},
year = {2026},
month = apr,
volume = {4},
pages = {IMAG.a.1219},
publisher = {MIT Press},
issn = {2837-6056},
doi = {10.1162/
url = {https://
pmid = {42052505},
pmcid = {PMC13112208}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Stocker, Julia Elina
AU - Zeidman, Peter
AU - Thome, Ina
AU - Rusch, Kristin Marie
AU - Sommer, Jens
AU - Steinsträter, Olaf
AU - Jansen, Andreas
TI - Causal mechanisms of individual differences in hemispheric lateralization of the face perception network: A DCM-PEB approach
T2 - Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
J2 - Imaging Neurosci (Camb)
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 4
SP - IMAG.a.1219
SN - 2837-6056
PB - MIT Press
DO - 10.1162/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
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